86400 Seconds
by akosi-cordz
Summary: Bella is sick but her biggest dream was to study at Harvard University. Too bad she can't afford it, though. And then her dad's closest friend tells her he's willing to pay for her college fees until she graduates if she survives more than six months taking care of his two sons. AH
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**: Puzzles

[Bella POV]

I looked out the window and sighed. Rain wasn't unusual for the small town of Forks, but after living the past two years under it, you'd realize it's tiring. But even as I thought it, I realized that I knew there was something _more_ to Forks. There was a beauty to it that I have never seen in any of the other towns I've lived in.

"Bella, breakfast," I heard Charlie, my dad, call from downstairs.

"Coming," I called out. I glanced at the mirror briefly, to check that my hair was arranged, and I left my room to join him for breakfast.

"Morning," I greeted as I sat down.

"Morning." As per usual, he was reading the papers while drinking his coffee, which was a really funny combination but something he's told me that 'simply grows on you'. I smiled and served myself pancakes and immediately spread butter and jelly.

"I'll be home later than usual tonight," he reminded me. "I have to run a patrol over to Seattle."

Even though he's been telling me about it since last week, I still couldn't help but get worried. "Will you be alright?"

He rolled his eyes and didn't answer. I could imagine what he'd say, anyway: 'Why wouldn't I be?'

"I'm just worried," I answered defensively. And then I sighed and bit my pancake. "Okay. Will you be around for dinner?"

"Don't think so, either," he answered automatically.

We were both quiet for a moment, me eating breakfast, him reading the papers. He shifted to the next page and cleared his throat. I looked up at him.

"If you want, I could call a friend over," he told me. I almost choked on my pancake at that. He glanced at me and then concentrated on the papers once more. "I _do_ have friends, Bella."

I chuckled. "Yes, of course you do. What's with your friend?"

"Well, he hasn't been in town for the last decade or so, and maybe I could ask him to come over and feed you. He's only also one of the best doctors in the country, so I could say he could check on you."

I nodded. _Check on me_, I mused. Maybe that's the main point why he brought this up? My health and check-ups has always been a sore subject ever since Renee, my mom, died two years ago.

"Okay," I cleared up. "Call me what time he'll be coming."

"He'll be around at about seven. That okay with you?"

"Will I have to cook dinner?"

"No."

"Then yeah, that's okay with me."

"Alright. I'll see you this evening, Bells."

"Bye, dad." I stood up and brushed my teeth, and then, after picking my bag up from my room, went downstairs, grabbed my keys, and jumped into my little Chevy. It was old, about five or six years old now, but ever since Charlie bought it for me—in exchange for the other, _older_ Chevy—I've loved it.

The drive to school was always boring and uneventful. Well, that is, if you found brown and green boring and uneventful, you'd think so. To me, it was beautiful. The green reminded me of the cold, and the brown reminded me of the warm. It was a wonderful combination that always made me feel better whenever I felt gloomy.

I got to school at five before seven, parked where I usually did, and leapt out of the car.

Alice Brandon, my good old friend Alice, was waiting for me by the cafeteria when I got here.

"Morning," she chirped as she gave me a hug. Being almost a head shorter than I am, I had to bend to reciprocate. "I have _great_ news today."

I looked at her curiously. "What?"

"Rosalie got into the firm!"

My eyes widened and I felt a grin spread across my lips. For the past six months, my other close friend, Rosalie Hale, has been trying to apply for this modeling firm she always wanted to join because of the college scholarships they offered for their models.

Alice had no problem with scholarships—she already has one on fashion. Rose was a senior and I understood why she would have or want a scholarship, but Alice and I were barely halfway through junior year.

Still, I was so proud of Rosalie that I can't help but giggle when she arrived with her brother, Jasper.

"Oh my gods, congratulations!" I told her, enveloping her in my arms. She tapped my back repeatedly and whispered:

"Thank you."

Even though I couldn't see it, I knew that her face was glowing with pride and gratefulness. When we pulled away, I saw that I was right—she was proud. It's not like she doesn't have reason to—I mean, she's easily one of the most beautiful people I know, and I love her. I smiled at her again.

"We're all proud of her," Jasper interjected, tapping his sister's shoulder. I grinned at Jasper, too. He was already holding Alice's hand behind Rose, and, as we straightened up, more hugs were exchanged.

Alice and Jasper had started dating sometime last year, when I couldn't remember correctly what really happened. Rose and I just roll our eyes at the pair of them, but sometimes they're so sweet you'd think you'll melt.

"So. Do you guys have plans of celebrating tonight?" Alice asked.

Jasper and Rosalie exchanged a look and nodded at each other.

"It's a Friday," Jasper began. "I don't think we're busy tonight."

Alice bobbed up and down and clapped her hands, and then looked at me as my heart fell. _Charlie's friend._ I sighed, looking at them apologetically.

"Someone's come back to town after a decade," I said. "He's Charlie's friend. I'd already promised dinner." I smiled ruefully. All three of them looked disappointed at first, but then Alice clapped and laughed.

"That's alright," she told me. "We'll see you tomorrow morning, I guess?"

I smiled and nodded, my mood lifting a bit. These three were three of the few—uh, four?—people who knew of me and my health. And still, they accepted me for who I am—not for my stupid disability. I shook my head and we all walked together through campus. We dropped Alice off to Math class first, and then we dropped Jasper, and finally it was Rosie's turn.

"I'm really sorry I can't make tonight," I whispered as we hugged by the door.

"That's okay. I think you're talking about my uncle, anyway."

I pulled away from her and knitted my eyebrows. "Huh?"

"My uncle—Carlisle Cullen. He and his family just moved in the other day, and he hasn't been around for a good ten years or so." I frowned.

"Shouldn't he be spending dinner with family, then?"

Rose just shook her head. "Charlie _is_ family to him."

I nodded, and she left. I walked to my own class alone, and when I got there, I was still mulling about that little fact. Carlisle Cullen… he'd heard it before. The name sounded vaguely familiar, and for some reason he keeps seeing blue eyes and blond hair.

Well, that may be because Rose was blonde with blue eyes and she claimed he was her uncle. But, as I sat down on my chair, I had a feeling in my gut that that wasn't the fact. I _knew_ who Carlisle Cullen was, but for the life of me I couldn't place who.

The teacher came in a few minutes later, began her lecture about the English Language, and soon the bell was ringing and soon I was on my way to second period.

"Bella!" someone called. I looked behind me and smiled at Angela, the local pastor's daughter, waving from across the hall, walking to me. She was smiling like mad when she got to me. "I heard about Rosalie."

I grinned at her. She, too, was part of our little group—our little strange group—and I hugged her. We talked nonsense until we got into History, and then we kept quiet when the teacher came in. I brought my textbook out and began reading the unit for the day. I looked up and took down notes, and then exchanged a few opinions with Angela.

Halfway through class, when no one was listening anymore and the teacher was just droning on about senseless stuff, I brought out my little black journal and took out a pen. I set both on the table and opened the black leather of the journal, grabbed my pen, and began writing, drawing… doodling.

I wasn't thinking anything at all while I was drawing. Half of my brain was actually concentrating on the conversation with Angela. We were talking about our new little fad—George Martin's A Game of Thrones—and when I looked down, I was surprised by what I ended up sketching.

Since I was a kid, I was always interested in the arts. I could play three musical instruments, I could compose music, I could write poems, and I was great at drawing. But what I saw really surprised me.

It was a picture.

The first thing I noticed was that there were six people in that picture—four adults and two kids. One woman carrying a long haired baby was my mother, Renee. She was looking up at me from the canvas. The man behind her could only be Charlie, who was looking at her, and the baby was sucking her thumb, looking at me, too. In front of Renee stood a man, smiling broadly, his arm around another woman who was, too, looking up at me through the canvas. She was holding another baby, a boy this time, who could only be a few months older than the girl Renee carried.

The longer I stared at it, the more I felt like the colors are coming to life. I can see Renee's blonde and dad's brown. I can see the girl's brown hair and eyes. I can see the other man's blond hair and blue eyes, and the other woman's brown eyes and gold hair.

That was the time I realized I was staring at a picture. I've seen this picture before… I saw it at one of the cupboards at the living room. It was hidden inside a photo album entitled '1995'—the year I was born. I tried to think. Who could these be?

"Yes, Ms. Swan?"

My eyes snapped open as a sudden hush descended upon the room. I looked around and saw that everyone was staring at me. I looked at the teacher, confused, and saw that he, too, looked confused.

"Were you saying something?" he asked again.

I blinked and felt that blush coming up my cheeks. My heart began a frenzy in my chest—like it did every time I was nervous. I looked down at my table and shook my head.

"Okay, then. You're dismissed. Don't forget your essays at eight Monday morning."

After he talked I heard the bell ring. I stood up, grabbed my things and walked out of the classroom with Angela. When were in the hallway, I stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"What did I say?" I hissed.

"Uh—1995? Photo album," she answered nervously. I let her go and smiled.

"Sorry."

"S'okay. Are you coming to the party tonight?"

I grimaced. "I can't. I have guests to—"

I stopped. _Guests… pictures… Rosalie's uncle… _

It all added up with a 'ping' in my head.

"One of dad's old friends is coming," I told Angela instead. She smiled and nodded.

"Who?" she asked. I knew she'd ask that.

"Carlisle Cullen."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **The Call

[Bella POV]

"_Who?" she asked. I knew she'd ask that._

"_Carlisle Cullen."_

I knew it! It all added up! Carlisle and Charlie… there was a story when I was younger about the both of them being raised by old grandpa Adrian. When he died, Carlisle moved to Seattle to study, and Charlie stayed in Forks. After graduating medicine, Carlisle came back to Forks with a wife and child.

His wife and child moved out after a year, and he would leave Forks every now and then to see them. Seven years later, he left Forks for good and we never heard of him again. Now, ten years later, he came back.

I've known Rose since I was in kindergarten and Alice since third grade. How come I never even heard that the Hales and the Cullens were related? I shrugged. I guess that's part of what makes life complicated.

The time after that found me in the cafeteria, sitting with my friends, plus Ben, Angela's boyfriend, the sisters Tanya and Kate, and Kate's boyfriend, Garrett.

I found an unfamiliar face sitting beside Tanya. I looked at the strawberry blonde in question. Her eyes lit up when it caught mine, and she winked. I had to hide my laughter. I got that one. Rosalie seemed to as well, because she tipped the girl's head over to hers and studied it.

"Okay, she passes," she said after some deliberation.

It was silent for a little while before everyone broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Hell, Rose, you might have scared her!" Tanya said in indignation. She reached for the girl and rubbed her shoulder. "Sorry, honey. Rosie scares everyone like that."

"I do _not_," Rose growled.

"Do so," I muttered back. Tanya looked at me and winked again, and the girl whipped her head towards me. She smiled sweetly, nervously.

"I'm Chelsea, by the way," she said softly. We all smiled at her as she blushed. She looked at Tanya and, when I looked, too, they were smiling at each other.

"Don't let these guys scare you," Tanya told Chelsea. "She moved in about half a year ago. I talked to her just a few weeks back, you know… and boom!"

"Okay," Alice said suddenly, raising her hands in laughter, "we get it. You fell in love and it was happily ever after."

We all laughed together as Chelsea leaned against Tanya's shoulder. I smiled at the both of them. Lucky how people could find love. My smile vanished and I looked away. It's sad, too, that sometimes there are people who will never and can never feel how it is to fall in love—to feel all the pain and happiness being in love feels.

"Bella, is something wrong?"

I looked back at the table in surprise to find everyone looking at me.

"What?"

"Is something wrong, I asked?" Tanya said, her eyebrow raised. I snorted.

"When is something _ever_ wrong?" I asked her back. She rolled her eyes and kissed Chelsea's forehead.

"Yes, Bella's the really easy to kill one among all of us."

I gasped in mock shock. "Gods of Olympus, Tanya, you just let out my biggest secret!"

She laughed at me and kissed Chelsea's forehead again. Every time she did, Chelsea blushed and looked at us, as if asking, 'is this okay?' but we were all used to it.

At first, we thought Tanya was interested in one guy—Jasper, at least. But when she pushed him to ask Alice out, we were all 'WHAT?' because the next day she was holding hands with this blonde, Lauren. Three months later, they broke up because Lauren kept bullying me.

That was more than a year ago. Six months after Lauren, Tanya kept playing both girls and boys—but most of them were girls. I think she really did take Lauren seriously. But… Chelsea didn't have to know that, did she?

[**A/N**: I know that a bi/lesbian Tanya is a little TOO OOC, but most of the time the characters here are, too, and I sorta got tired of seeing Tanya play bitch in almost all Twilight fics I read. So I saw that this might be something new, and here it is. Lesbian Tanya!]

"Well, what are you having after lunch, Chelsea?" I asked her.

"She has English with me," Kate answered immediately. I looked at her, and I saw the way she looked at Chelsea. She was _glowing_. She never glowed when Tanya dated a girl. I guess Chelsea must be real good.

"Okay," I answered. "I'm Isabella," I told her. "But I like being called Bella more." I took a sip of my chocolate milk and glanced at Alice from beside me.

"Oh, I'm Alice Brandon. You don't have to worry about getting to know Bella. She's the police chief's daughter."

Chelsea's eyes drifted to me and I smiled at her. She smiled back.

"As you know, I'm Rosalie Hale," Rosalie said, smiling, too. "This is my brother, Jasper, and he is dating Alice."

"Though many of us hoped he'd date Tanya," Kate interjected.

Tanya groaned and Alice began laughing. Chelsea looked at Jasper and blushed. This must be _so_ awkward for her. I laughed a little and took another sip of milk.

"I'm Angela," Angela continued. "This is Ben, my boyfriend. I guess that's all of us, well, all of us you don't know."

Silence reigned in the table and then everyone began talking at once, the atmosphere rising. There was laughter, and I finally got to know Chelsea. I found out I shared Art class with her—my sixth period. When we were walking for our classes, I looked at her and smiled.

"I'll see you at sixth, I guess."

Chelsea blushed. "Yes." And then she walked with Kate to English.

"Should I be worried about anything?" Tanya asked as she walked with me. We shared Biology. I laughed, as did Rose and Alice.

"We all know Bella is straight, Tanya," Alice scolded, "so no need to worry."

Tanya chuckled and hit my arm playfully as we entered.

"There aren't many boys left," she told me. "Girls are _so_ much better, trust me." I stuck my tongue out at her and she shrugged. I left her by her table and I walked to my own table, my empty table. I looked at the other seat longingly.

The last person to sit there was James, a blond-head who committed suicide about four months ago after finding out his dad cheated on his mom and had a son. I looked to the other side of the aisle and saw sitting there his long time girlfriend, Victoria.

I sighed.

This was part of the things I will _never_ experience in life—true love. Although Victoria has obviously moved on from the death, she surely has not moved on from the emotions. She still misses him, and even though she denies it, every day I see her stroking James's desk.

She looked so lonely, so sad. I was one of the people she came to and cried on when James died, and I just sat there, listening to her.

It didn't matter if you told the person you were sorry about his death. You can _never_ be sorry because you will always know, deep in your mind, that it wasn't your fault. You can never be sorry. What mattered more was listening to the other person and helping each other move on, move forward.

As I looked away from her, I noticed something new about the table beside me. James's old one was gone. There used to be a gigantic 'JV' in the middle with a heart, but now that was gone. It was replaced by a new one… actually, both of our tables were replaced by a single one.

James and I were never comfortable about working with other students. It wasn't like we were arrogant or anything, it's just that we more or less depended on ourselves. Panicked, I looked up at Victoria and saw that she was looking at me.

"We have a new student," she said bluntly. "His other table is in my house now."

I blinked and nodded slowly. And then she smiled, a warm smile.

"You have to stop worrying about me," she scolded. And then she thought better of it and rolled her eyes. "Let's talk later. I got some good gossip from Lauren and Jessica."

I scowled. Lauren and Jessica were the two more popular—but also the bitchiest!—girls in Forks High School. Ever since James died they were there for Victoria, and she stopped me from hanging out with her because of fear of 'influence'. I love her for that.

Mr. Banner came into class and looked at me. "Yes, Ms. Swan, very good… okay, the new student will start Monday. Bring your notes out, class, let's continue where we left off yesterday."

Boom. Just like that. I looked at Victoria and she glanced at me at the same time. We giggled and brought out our notes.

The rest of the afternoon went on like that. Soon I was in my car, driving home, and when I entered the first place I checked was the kitchen. It has been two years since I last saw someone in the kitchen whenever I arrived home, but still… it was like tradition for me now.

Of course the kitchen was empty. I got a better idea and went to the living room where I knelt down in front of one of the cupboards and opened it, searching for the album labeled 1995. Finally I found it and I scanned the pages, finally coming to a stop where I last saw the picture.

I got it. Perfectly. All from memory. I smiled at myself and my smile vanished when I saw one little detail I haven't noticed before. I grabbed my journal from my bag and looked at my drawing. No, it wasn't there. It was one little detail, but it was baffling.

Mom held a ring.

It didn't belong to her, but she held it in her hand, palm up, of the arm that was holding the baby girl that was me. It was like she was saying, 'look at the ring. Isn't it beautiful?'

I frowned. I shook my head and closed the album. I hid it back in the cupboard and went through my afternoon rituals—change clothes, do homework, check email, prepare food and see answering machine. I was done with checking my email when I decided against the food. Charlie said I didn't have to prepare anything.

I went downstairs and checked the machine.

"_Bella, it's dad. Carlisle will be there earlier than I thought—he'll be there at six. I hope you've prepared the table, looks like he's brought quite a feast with him. I'll call you before I get home."_

Okay.

"_Hi, Bell! Do you remember me? I know you do. Call me back as soon as you get this! Love you!"_

I froze. I knew that voice. I will _never_ forget that voice. I smiled. It was Emily, the girl who made me face my fear of heights.

"_Ugh… did Emily get to call you before me? Unfair! Anyway, we're home at the rez. Do you copy? You don't have to call me. It's Leah, by the way. Seth misses you!"_

Leah was Emily's tomboy counterpart. I smiled. It looks like this will be fun. I was about to grab the phone to call Emily when the timer ticked. Six o'clock. I frowned when I heard wheels hit the pavement. And then I paled.

_Charlie's call!_ I groaned and moved around preparing the table as a knock came up the door.

"Come in!" I called.

I heard the door open and close, and when I looked, there was a man in black, standing by my living room. His blond hair was air-blown and disheveled, and there was a small smile in his lips as he raised the two bags he was holding.

I grinned and ran to him.

"Uncle Carli!" I squealed and hugged him. He hugged me back and laughed.

"You never got tired of calling me that, huh?" he said and ruffled my hair. "Come on—let's have dinner."

I grinned and took the bags, too.

Dinner with Carlisle was so different from Charlie that I began to wonder _how_ they grew up together. He asked me all sorts of questions that Charlie would sometimes just leave alone. He tells me stories that Charlie would rather keep secret. Weirdly, I paid more attention to him than I do my own father.

"Where do you plan on studying?" he asked.

I bit my lip and blushed, my eyes straying to the catalog on the ref. good thing he didn't notice, though.

"Well?"

"Harvard," I answered truthfully. "I want to do cardiology there."

He smiled. "That's nice, Bella!"

I smiled wistfully. "Yeah, but sadly I can't afford it."

He frowned. "There are a million scholarships out there."

I looked at him with my 'are-you-stupid' expression, my eyes staring him down. He looked at me, confused, and then I shrugged in answer.

"I tried," I muttered. "The scholarships cannot afford sick people, either."

He was quiet for a little bit and then he cleared his throat.

"I may have a little idea."


	3. Chapter 3

**Cordz's note: **Hi guys! So I wasn't able to edit the first two chapters of the story before uploading in order to add an author's note or two. So I'm putting it here.

Well, first off, if you've read my first story, I'm sorry but I've deleted that one. I wrote that with my best friend, who 'went' about two months ago... I don't want to continue it without her. Here's a new story, completely mine, but not completely related to her. So, thanks for reading this one!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the original story, plot, characters and the idea of the story. I _do_ own this fiction, though :)

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Uh… WHAT?!

[Bella POV]

_He was quiet for a little bit and then he cleared his throat._

"_I may have a little idea." _

I was stunned, to say the least. I couldn't believe he just asked me that. I looked at him, looking for some hint of a joke, the punch line—but he was dead serious.

I gulped.

"You're serious."

It wasn't a question anymore.

He smiled and nodded. "I sure am."

"But Carlisle—"

"Bella," he groaned.

"Listen to me! What you want is too… um… small for what you're willing to give me."

"You have no idea what you're saying."

"I don't care, Carlisle! It's too much for… well… my time."

"Effort," he reminded, "patience and possibly your sanity, too."

I rolled my eyes. "It's too much."

He hesitated, like he wanted to tell me something but instead said: "Look at it this way: it's a thank you gift to your grandfather for taking care of me that I can afford all this."

I blinked. I couldn't say 'no' to _that_ anymore, now could I?

"I—" He looked at me "—agree," I said. "Fine."

His eyes lit up like Christmas tree, and he stood up. We were already finished with dinner by then, and so all he had to do was stand up and leave. That's exactly what he did—he hugged me, and then he left, smiling.

"I'll call you," he said before he drove away. I raised my hand in a half-wave.

Wait. What did I just get myself into again?

I closed my eyes and closed the door, and then leaned against the door and slid to the floor. Before he told me anything, he asked me to sit on the couch and wait for him. When he came back he had all the apparatus he needed for my own torture—the check up.

When he was finished, he looked at me and smiled—a rather sad smile.

"Nothing's changed, Bella."

Nothing's changed. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? It can't entirely be bad, right? At least it's not getting worse.

"_Nothing's changed, Bella."_

Tears formed in my eyes but I fought them back and stood up. And I agreed to his stupid offer. I slapped my forehead with my palm and walked up to my room, cleaning myself before dropping my body on the bed.

"_Nothing's changed, Bella. Do you now want to hear my solution?"_

I had nodded. I wish I never did.

"_Well, Esme—my wife—and I can't stay here all the time, and sadly we have a two year old toddler in the house. We can't afford to have a nanny yet when we can't trust anybody else. Can I entrust to you my son? Well… both of them._

"_If you could make it in six months, I'll pay for your tuition and fees at Harvard. All of them—board, books, uniform, semester enrolment—all of it. As long as you can survive living with the both of them for six months."_

I agreed… I groaned when I heard the phone ring downstairs. I was about to just let it go to voicemail but courtesy won out and I ran downstairs, panting when I got there.

"Hello!" I said, a little too sharply into the phone.

"Whoa, Bella. _You_ left me this afternoon."

I laughed. "Sorry, Vicky. What's the call about?"

I could practically hear her roll her eyes at the other end of the line. "I _did_ tell you I had gossip, right?"

"Oh! I completely forgot. You see, Charlie's friend came around for dinner and I had to be—"

"Blah, blah-blah—I don't want your explanations. Anyway, it seems your new lab partner—that new kid who is starting Monday?—is, like, the hottest guy in town."

I snorted. "So?"

"So, naturally, Lauren, Jessica and half of their bitch group will be pining for her."

I was about to smirk or snort again but I remembered something. The only family who moved in was Carlisle's. And, if I did my Math right a while ago, his son… child… will be my age. I gulped, too loudly, I guess, because Victoria called my name out.

"I'm okay," I answered, though I'm not sure that was her question. "Can you tell me his name, at least?"

She laughed. "Are _you_ interested?"

"No—of course not. I'm just curious about one thing."

"Edward."

"What?"

"His name—it's Edward."

Edward… I paled. "Cullen."

"Huh? How did you know that?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, that's his name? I just read Charlie's little note here." I laughed, but it was off, and thankfully she didn't notice. "Anyway, what's up?"

We continued like that, chatting endlessly, mindlessly, but still, my mind wandered. When I hung up, my knees were shaking and my heart was beating so loud I felt a heart attack coming. I took a deep breath and held it in for three seconds, and then let it out with a puff.

I did the exercise seventeen more times until I felt myself calm. I suddenly got an idea and grabbed the phone, putting it on dial and calling the first person who came to mind.

"Hello?"

I was stunned into silence. I was so surprised by the sound of that voice that at first I couldn't talk.

"Hello?"

"EMILY!" I shrieked.

"Bella! Oh my gods, Bella!" she sang in the phone. "LEAH!" she bellowed.

"_What?" _I heard.

"It's Bella."

I heard several fuzzes and some whispering, and then it was Leah.

"Isabella Swan!" she called out. "I can't believe I could miss you this much."

"I can't believe I could miss you, too," I said and laughed. "Anyway, how are you two?"

"We're damn fine, woman," Emily answered. "Come over this weekend. I'm sure the boys would want o see you, too."

_The boys._ I grinned. They keep their brothers a big excuse to lure me to the reservation at La Push where they live. I giggled and shook my head.

"I'm after you," I sang, teasing.

"Emily's dating big ol' Sam." –Leah

"Leah!" –Emily

"Oh holy Zeus!" –Me

"And Leah's dating Jake!" –E

"Emily!" –L

I laughed.

"What about you?" –L & E

"What?" My heart skipped.

"Who are _you_ dating?" Leah asked, serious now.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, since the two girls I want are taken now, I think I'm forever alone. Don't you?"

"Bella, you're so beautiful," Emily scolded. "Don't think adolescent confusion will last forever."

I made a face. "Tanya's not confused."

"Tanya is different," Emily reminded.

Emily, Leah and his brother, Seth, their cousins, Sam, Paul and Jared, and the brothers Quil and Jacob used to live at La Push all the time. But ever since Leah and Emily graduated last year they lived in Seattle, Portland, and Toronto and only came here during their vacations.

"Yes, different," I answered.

I've spent the first nine years of my life with them, yes, and most of the rest of the seventeen, but they don't know me as well as Alice, Rose and the others do. I frowned. They don't know me well then, do they?

"Good night, Bella, we gotta go. Drop by if you can."

"Will do. Goodnight."

We hung up.

I went up the stairs without a thought in my brain and dropped face-first on the bed. The moment I closed my eyes, I was thankfully out.

* * *

**Another author's note:** There goes the third chapter! Please leave some reviews so I can know what's up with the story; where I need to improve and if there's anything wrong with my spelling/grammar.

*If there is, I'd like to apologize and let everyone know that though English may be a major language in my country, and that most kids grow up studying English, it's not our native tongue.

So, please leave a review! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Cordz's note:** Hello again! If you're reading this, you're still probably reading and waiting for the story, and thank you for that! Anyway, I'll be updating two or three chapters every week... except next, I think, because that's prom weekend already. -.-"

So how do you like the story so far? You're still reading it, so I guess it comes up to scratch? I'd REALLY like to know how you see, feel and perceive my story. I know it's slow, and it's slow until the fifth or sixth chapter, but I promise I'm trying to make good with this. Patience, please! And... here it is. I'll stop blabbering now.

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**Chapter 4:** What's Under My Bed?

[Bella POV]

_We hung up._

_I went up the stairs without a thought in my brain and dropped face-first on the bed. The moment I closed my eyes, I was thankfully out. _

I woke with a jolt. My heart was pounding in my chest and I couldn't breathe. Automatically my hand reached out to my pillow where I kept my inhaler. I put it against my mouth, pressed, and let the soothing gas enter my through.

Two sprays later I was breathing again.

I checked my clock and frowned. It was two in the morning. I never woke up at two in the morning. I stood up and walked to my door, flicked my light open and squinted at the sudden light. I went downstairs to drink and saw that the TV was open but the only person watching was conked out, snoring softly on the sofa.

I sighed. I went to the cupboard under the stairs and grabbed some blankets, spreading it over Charlie and turning the TV off. And then I went to the kitchen to have a drink of water. When I passed by him, he was still sleeping soundly, his face peaceful but haunted and pale. There were dark circles under his eyes, and I knew that those were caused by the stress of life brought down on him.

I looked at him in love and awe. I can't believe he could live with someone like me.

When I arrived in my room, I noticed something a little off. My bag on the floor, and my blankets were strewn around. I sighed. I was out the moment my head hit the pillow. Of _course_ I could fix my room.

I picked my bag up but that was the moment the zipper gave out and all the contents spilled out with a loud thud. I groaned in frustration and retrieved most of it, and decided I'll just get the rest in sunlight.

I walked over to my switch and flicked the light off, stumbling about in my room in the darkness until I found my bed. Then I lay down and I was out once more.

I felt like I only closed my eyes for a minute before I opened them again to light. I groaned and covered my eyes with my pillow, but there was an incessant vibration under my head. Sighing, I pulled my phone out and took the call.

"What?" I asked, my voice laced with sleep.

"It's eight," Alice called. "Now get your ass out of bed and get ready. We're picking you up at 10."

"Who needs two hours to get ready?"

"Girls."

"That's not true!"

"Get ready, Bella."

"In an hour."

She groaned. "Whatever. I've called Charlie. He said you have to be home at three because of a friend or something. You'll be home by then."

"Why are we going out again?"

"Gods, Bella! I swear, if you weren't this young I'd say you have my grandfather's memory!"

"Sorry!"

"Rosalie is celebrating, remember?"

Huh…? And then I grinned. "I'll be ready in two hours."

"Good."

We hung up. If I'd neglected to inform you a while ago, forgive me. I'm a very forgettable person. I need all sorts of remembrances and reminders for me to remember one thing.

I sighed and covered my face with my blankets again. And then I remembered I had to find my things first. Groaning, I stood up and knelt down so I could see the floor. I retrieved all four of my notebooks, my sketch pad, pencil case, and three books. There was nothing missing, right?

And then I remembered something.

Where is my journal?

My eyes widened in panic. I looked around wildly, upturning everything I could upturn. Finally I gave up and fell to my knees, resting on my palm so I could see under my bed. Sure enough, it was there—with several boxes I kept inside. I reached out and groped around blindly.

It wasn't the journal I came in contact with, though.

It was something else.

A year before she died, Renee gave me a silver tin box which held most of her valuables. She made me promise I will never forget to open the box. Sadly, I forgot—but now that I felt it under my bed, I remembered.

_It was fall, and it was cold. I snuggled next to mom and sighed in contentment._

"_Hey, hunny," she said, kissing my forehead. "I have a gift for you."_

_I straightened up. I _hated_ gifts and she knew that._

"_It's not too expensive, I promise."_

_I looked at her and smiled. She brought out this silver thing with metal hinges and snaps. It shone in the light and reflected my face and hers on the surface. I touched it. It was cold tin._

"_This is for you," she told me, handing it to me. "Those are the two things I value most in the world. Take care of them, okay? I also have a letter in there for you." She smiled._

_My eyes shot to hers, confused. "You can tell me now, right?"_

_Her smile turned sad as she looked at me._

"_Bella, baby… sometimes, messages are better of written and read rather than uttered and heard."_

_I smiled. "Okay. Will you tell me what's in here, though?"_

_She shook her head. "No. You will find out on your own."_

"_Mom," I groaned._

"_You can open that tonight if you want to. It's yours." She shrugged and kissed my forehead again. I shook the bottle and frowned. It gave a soft rattle and suddenly I was so curious I almost opened it in front of mom. I was about to, but I realized—I should open this when I'm older._

_I smiled at her and stood up, leaving their room and entering mine. I slid the box under my bed, wishing I would never forget it._

But sadly, I did. As I pulled it out and sat at the edge of the bed, I noted that it was dusty. I wiped the dust off with the sleeve of my shirt and sneezed. I smiled and ran my hands across the shiny surface. My hands went to the snaps and I pulled them down. The lid opened a bit, just enough to let me see the velvet casing inside.

I frowned.

Why would Renee do this?

I opened the lid completely and was at a complete loss when I found only two things—a leather rectangular case which may hold eyeglasses, and a small, round, velvet case that may hold a pin.

I took the leather case first. I opened it and gasped. It was a necklace. Wrong—it was a silver chain holding mom's engagement ring—the engagement ring Charlie gave her which Grandma Marie gave him which Grandpa Adrian gave her which… well, for short, it was the Swan family heirloom.

My eyes watered. Charlie was an only child, and he was a boy, of course he'd receive this. He didn't have a son, though, and when I told mom about that, she said it doesn't belong to me… I'm just holding it for my son, because someone else, another boy, will give me his family heirloom as an engagement ring.

I ran my fingertips across the cold chain and picked it up, the metal scratching sweetly against metal as the ring slid to the center of the loop. I removed the lock and put it around my neck, smiling softly. It was cold against my skin, but it was comfortable.

My eyes strayed to the other object in the box. Interested, I held the black velvet box up and saw that there was in engraving at the top. My jaw dropped in awe when I traced my finger across. It was glass!

The engraving baffled me, though.

_EAEC_

Did another boy propose to mom? Or is this a brand of a ring? I frowned. I'll search that later.

I opened the case and my eyes widened.

I was looking at the ring my mother held in her palm seventeen years ago. That ring, which she had when that picture was taken a few months after I was born, was now staring at me from a velvet case. I gulped and picked up the ring.

It was beautiful, to say the least. The ring itself was gold, with studs of diamonds around the front. The back had a pair of rubies that glinted blood as it hit the light. The onyx stone set in the middle shone darkly as I looked at it, and it was surrounded by small details… a chain.

I frowned.

The ring was simple but elegant, and it was obviously old and precious. It seemed too expensive to be bought. I frowned when I saw another engraving at the inner lid.

_IMWS_

Isabella Marie Williams Swan. It was me. I knew it. What did this ring mean?

"Bella!"

I jumped when I heard Charlie call. I took the necklace off, slid it back into the case, closed both contents, locked the box, and slipped it back under my bed. I retrieved my journal as I straightened up and ran downstairs for breakfast.

I froze when I arrived at the kitchen.

Standing there was Carlisle Cullen… and the woman who could only be his wife, Esme.

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**Last A/N:** For the chapter :]

how do you like/dislike it? Why?


	5. Chapter 5

**My note: **And... I'm uploading this and the next chapter today, too, since i won't be able to until the third week of February...

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**Chapter 5:** o _ O"

[Bella POV]

_I froze when I arrived at the kitchen._

_Standing there was Carlisle Cullen… and the woman who could only be his wife, Esme. _

All three adults looked up at me when I entered, but my eyes were trained on the woman—Esme. I gulped as tears began forming in my eyes. My chest was tightening, and I could suddenly feel that pinching near my heart.

My face paled as I continued staring, frozen, eyes wide.

"Bella?" dad asked, concerned. He stepped forward and rubbed my arm. "Carlisle, I think you should come see her."

Carlisle stepped forward and touched my wrist and then my neck.

"Okay, Bella. I want you to move to the chair now." He pulled a chair next to me and slowly sat me down, all the while keeping a hand on my waist in case I fell. I realized I've been holding my breath only when my mind started to swim from the lack of oxygen.

Still, no matter how hard I tried my brain didn't seem to work. I still couldn't breathe and I couldn't move. My eyes were trained forward, unseeing, and my hands were at my sides, immobile.

"Isabella. _Breathe_."

_I'M TRYING!_

"Bella, follow your Uncle Carli. Please."

I tried… I kept trying.

And then a warm hand touched my arm. The touch was nothing more than a caress, and it would have been accidental, but it was so full of love and affection it made me gasp in surprise.

The next thing I knew I was choking on my own air, my chest twisting as I tried to get as much air into my system as possible.

Carlisle told Charlie to go get my meds. He did. He injected some calming drug into my arm and I felt it work immediately. But the best therapy I got was a voice… and a touch on my arm.

"Bella, it's okay. Keep calm. It's okay."

Tears fell down my cheeks as my coughs turned into hiccups and then into sobs. I missed my mother so, so much. Esme's simple touch and voice reminded me of my own mother so much that I calmed down immediately. Carlisle sighed in relief and rubbed my shoulder, while Charlie stood at the side, looking at me.

"Sorry," I whispered when I calmed down.

"There's nothing to apologize about," Carlisle answered me. "Come on, let's have breakfast."

I stood up shakily and joined them by the table. Charlie watched me like a hawk. Silent. I sighed as I conversed with Esme, and I realized that I was right—I _did_ miss my mother so much.

"I heard of Carlisle's little proposition last night," Esme said. "He said you agreed."

I nodded silently. The way she looked at me was like the way any woman would look when they were looking at their dreams coming true. But that look said something else for me, too. It said something about my mother. Something she and my mother know about.

"Well then. I guess you'd want to meet the boys today?" Carlisle suggested.

I shook my head. "I'm going out with my friends today."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

I rolled my eyes at him as Esme hit his head affectionately with her spoon.

"Yes, we're celebrating her acceptance into a scholarship."

Carlisle's eyes lit up. "Do you know Rosalie?"

I laughed. "Yes."

Charlie cleared her throat. "I said three."

I looked at him and so did Carlisle and Esme, incomprehensive.

"I told Alice to have you back at three. Carlisle will take you then."

"Wait… you know?" I asked.

Esme laughed. "Of course he knows, honey. He's your father. He ought to."

I made a face and laughed it off. "Okay. I guess it's alright. Will you pick me up at three?"

"Sure," she answered and smiled at me. I grinned back.

I stood up then and got ready—putting on a pair of jeans and a new shirt after a long bath. I combed my hair, too, and left it like that without tying it up. And then I slipped on a pair of rubber shoes and grabbed my purse, phone, wallet, iPod and earphones.

When I was all set, I made sure I had my inhaler on me and I was ready to go.

Alice was waiting out front when I left our house. I waved at her and she waved back, smiling warmly at me.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she sang as I entered her car. I bit my lip nervously. She drove all the way to Port Angeles, where I'd be spending the rest of the morning until early this afternoon with her, Rosalie, Angela, and lots of shops and shopping.

It was fifteen to two when I remembered Esme will pick me up from the house.

"I have to go," I said. We were now at a small coffee shop, having a little break from the nonstop shopping spree Alice started the moment we met at the mall. Rose and Alice looked at me, but Angela didn't even move. She just continued reading. "An aunt will pick me up in fifteen."

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed as if she, too, forgot about the little appointment. "Okay. I'll drop Bella off at her house and be at yours in twenty."

"Okay," Rose answered and hugged me. I hugged her back. "Ang, are you going with them?"

She glanced up and shook her head. "I'll ride with you. I need to stop by a bookshop, anyway."

Rose nodded and waved at us as we walked away to the bay where Alice parked. I entered her car and soon, we were driving in silence back to Forks. We began singing to the radio when we got into town limits, and we were cracking up as soon as we arrived.

"Bye, Ali. Thanks for having me."

"Bella, we'll have you anytime." She smiled at me and I reached over to hug her. "I'll see you on Monday!"

"I'll see you, Bella!"

And I jumped out.

I walked to the porch, ducking from the rain, and I got there at the same time a car pulled up right behind me. I spun around and saw a slick, shiny black BMW with dark, tinted windows and shiny bumpers. I gulped.

The passenger side window rolled down and Esme was inside, grinning at me. I smiled at her weakly, my eyes straying to the car. When I looked back at her she was rolling her eyes.

"It's just the car, darling. Hop in."

I chuckled and did as she said, slipping once but recovering my footing as I settled on the plush leather seat. The heater was turned up, so I was already warmed when she began driving. I put my seatbelt across my chest and laid my head against the backrest, basking in the calm of the car after a whole morning with Alice's energy.

I tried to keep my attention on the road, to get bearings on where we're going, but I can't—I keep losing track. First because I was so tried and second because the song playing in the background was so… it was so calming it made me want to sleep.

Just when I was about to, Esme spoke up.

"You were only two when I last saw you," she said. "You were the same age as our little Ace."

I gazed at her. Her eyes were trained on the road as she talked, and suddenly I got an urge to hug her.

"That was fifteen years ago." She chuckled. "You're so grown up now. I can't believe I skipped that long time in your life." She sighed. "We named our youngest son after Grandpa Adrian, you know."

"Wow, really?"

She nodded. "It was Carlisle's idea to name Edward Adrian. But I said, if we get a second son, his name is all yours. So fifteen years later, we did have a second son."

"Why didn't you name Edward so?"

Her eyes flickered to me and then zeroed in on the road once more. "That would be plain weird."

I was about to say something else when I realized where she turned. There was a long driveway ahead of us, but it was a path I was familiar with. It was the Masen house, named so after Edward Masen, who built it about fifty years ago.

I blinked.

"You bought the house?"

"We always wanted to. Carlisle and Charlie _did_ live here once."

I nodded. As adolescents, they stayed with the late Mr. Masen, who took care of them whenever grandpa had to work out. Now Carlisle has bought it and it's theirs. I gulped once more.

"It's luxury, honey," she said, "but you have to wait until you see inside."

She pulled up in front of the glass doors and gestured for me to unhook my seatbelt. I did so and gazed at the house once more.

"Go on inside—I'll park the car downstairs."

I nodded and got out, grabbing my purse before shutting the door. I turned around and took several deep breaths before pushing the door open. My jaw dropped to the floor, I think. Inside was _beautiful_. It was elegant, simple, but spoke of royalty and wealth. I walked inside and down to the living area, which was dominated by a U-couch in front of a 40-inch LED TV.

I chuckled.

I _love_ TV… especially with the console. I looked around me and my eyes saw the path that lead to the kitchen. I walked to the couch and sat down, my eyes still looking around, observing and simply just looking around.

The carpet by my feet was light cream with circular patterns that served as splashes of color. There was a coffee table between the couch and the TV, and I saw varied magazines underneath. To my right were French doors which lead to a back porch overlooking a meadow with large pine and oak trees.

If there was a word that can describe the place without being disrespectful, I'd say it. Sadly, there isn't one. I looked around and blushed when I saw Esme standing at the hallway, looking at me with a sad smile on her face.

"Sorry," I muttered sheepishly.

She laughed. "You don't have to apologize, dear." And then she sighed. "But I may have to. Ace is asleep at the second floor, and I have to go back to Chicago to continue that project I started the other week. You might meet Edward if he wakes up this afternoon."

I forced a smile into my face and nodded at her. "Okay."

She smiled softly again and rolled her eyes before bringing her phone out.

"I'll be back on Friday. Bye, Bella."

"Bye!"

She left. I was fine at first, before I felt suddenly nervous. I'm all alone in a house which isn't mine where the man who promised to pay for my college fees lives with his sons who I am supposed to survive with. I gulped and looked around.

Esme _did_ say second floor, right? I walked forward and went to the nearest staircase which I climbed. The second floor was nothing but a large hallway with the south wall glass and the north with alternating doors. I walked forward, looking at the labels—yes, _labels_—on them.

Finally, I saw the door that said, 'Ace'. I was about to open it when it opened for me. I looked down and saw a little… boy, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He walked forward, obviously too sleepy to see me, and bumped against my leg.

I grabbed his arm and knelt in front of him. His eyes widened when he saw me. They were the clearest, brightest shade of brown I have ever seen. I frowned. Carlisle had blue eyes and Esme had green. What's this, the recessive gene?

I shrugged.

"Hello," I greeted him softly.

He cocked his head to one side. I smiled at him. It took a few moments, but finally he smiled at me too, showing white, well-shaped teeth and two dimples. His brown hair seemed to shine in the light as he grinned at me. I thought that was the end of it.

Suddenly, he threw his arms around my neck and held me. It surprised me.

But that didn't shock me.

What did was what he said while he held me.

"Mommy!"

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Note: Hihihihihi. Had to stop it there. Review?


	6. Chapter 6

**Note:** so, someone wanted an Edward chapter... and here it is. Thank you for adding my story to your favorites... here's the chapter.

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**Chapter 6:** Dinner…

[Bella POV]

_What did was what he said while he held me._

"_Mommy!"_

WHAT?!

With rigid arms, I pried his arms off my neck and tried to push him away as gently as possible. I wanted to get mad at him, I wanted to walk out of their house as soon as possible, but somehow I couldn't because I saw the way his eyes twinkled as he looked at me.

"Mommy," he said again, swinging from side to side. "Mommy."

"Ace… hi," I greeted him, an awkward smile plastered on my face.

"Hewwo," he greeted back. His grin was still on his face as he took my hand and pulled me into his room. I had no choice but to follow.

I was surprised when I saw his room. I expected a cluttered room with lots of magazines and toys scattered all over the place, with the sheets on the floor and clothes strewn everywhere. If that's how Alice's younger brother lived, then it's the exact opposite of how Ace Cullen did.

His room was fixed and organized, almost impossibly so if a two year old lived in here.

I sat down on the carpet by the bed and he sat on my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck once more and resting his head against the crook of my head.

Automatically I turned my head and kissed his hair. I froze when I was about to wrap my arms around his body. _What am I doing?_ I shrugged.

It's a two year old who feels neglected by his mother because she's always busy with work.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and stood up, hitching him against my hip. He sighed contentedly, his breath tickling my neck, as I bounced him up and down. It took ten minutes and finally he was back to sleep.

I decided to do a little research. I walked to the desk by the window and looked over the picture.

There were four people in that picture—the toddler in my arms included. Only this time, he was carried by another person, a boy, my age. Carlisle stood beside them with a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes, albeit sad. Esme was the same, but she had a hand resting on the older boy's arm.

I looked at him and was struck by how alike he looked like in that picture when we were only a few months old.

His eyes twinkled green, and he had this lopsided grin on his face that made him looked like he glowed. Ace was flailing in his arms, a laugh still on his face when the photo was shot. I smiled at them.

In all honesty, I was a little envious of them. I've never had a sibling before. I rolled my eyes at the thought.

Ace shifted in my arms and I looked at him, expecting a pair of brown eyes to look at me. But he was still asleep, his face against my neck. One of his hands formed a little fist holding my shirt and hair, and his other one was resting lazily on my shoulder.

He seemed so content, so happy, that I did not have the heart to wake him up.

Instead I walked to his bed and sat down, all the while bouncing him up and down. When I got there I pried him off my body. Though he groaned, he sighed only a little and stayed asleep, which I was glad for. I set him on the bed and covered him with blankets.

When I was sure he wasn't going to wake up in two minutes, I stood up and left his room to explore the house. On my way down the same hallway I walked just a few minutes ago I noticed that two rooms after Ace's was a door that simply said, 'E'. This must be Edward's room, then.

I deliberated knocking and seeing if he's awake just so I could talk to someone, but closed all doors to that thought immediately. That would be stupid. What would I tell him?

'Hi, I'm Bella. I'm your new sitter. Can you give me a tour?'

I paled as I finished that little monologue. Do they know who I am? Do they know why I'm here? Will they think I'm some mugger or, worse, I'm some kidnapper? Do they know about my deal with Carlisle?

There are a million questions that I haven't thought to ask before Esme left this afternoon. I reached the first floor and looked out the window. It was still raining out, and I groaned in frustration. There are a lot about this family that I do not know. There is too much, actually, for me to be comfortable with the fact.

As I walked to the kitchen, I realized that all my questions will have to be answered by the brothers themselves. I have no choice but to tell them, and I guess that's the only way I can reassure myself that they won't call Charlie telling that there's a thief in the house.

I rolled my eyes again.

Robbery was a rarity in this small town of Forks. If you mug someone, it would either be nothing but a trip or just a move out of desperation. Those are the only two reasons behind people mugging other people in our small town.

I opened the fridge and my jaw dropped open when I saw what was inside.

Or rather…

What wasn't.

The fridge was on, but it was empty. There was only a box of milk—obviously for the two year old—a few cans of soda, two bottles of beer, loaf bread, a box of cheese and some fruits: a bunch of grapes, two pears and an apple.

I tried to look through the other compartments but found only frozen hotdogs, a jar of jam and peanut butter. That was all that was in the Cullen's refrigerator. As I closed the door I was suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that those two boys sleeping in their rooms must have been so…

…um, neglected. I could see that simply from what they had to live on. Bread? Cheese? SODA? O_o

Even _I_ won't live with that.

And then I remembered Ace's reaction to me.

"_Mommy!"_

I frowned.

Is this how Esme and Carlisle raised their children? Obviously not, right? As I looked, a saw a piece of white protruding from the vase that sat on top of the freezer. I reached up and found an envelope that said one thing:

_Edward_

I opened the envelope and found a stash of money—twelve one-hundreds, fifteen twenties and a few tens. With it came another piece of paper which I took out to read.

_Edward, here's some money for dinner. Make sure to give Ace his supplements! Mom will be bringing Bella over. We talked about her last night, remember? So she might join you for dinner._

_Bella, if you found this before my son did, please use it wisely and buy healthy food. You might have been surprised by the lack of food in the ref but that's because we haven't found time to get to the supermarket yet. If you can, please cook my sons' dinner, too. We'll be home before midnight._

_Well, I hope I'll be. Mom will stay in Chicago until Sunday next week. I'll see you guys._

_-Dad_

I sighed in relief.

Well, at least that didn't mean they were negligent parents, right? Wheeeeeeeeeew.

I took a hundred and stuffed the envelope under the vase again. And then I walked to the door. No one was coming out of their rooms yet, so I decided to go to the grocery store. There were several umbrellas by the door, so I grabbed one and stepped back when I saw my name on the door.

_Bella_

I frowned and looked at where the arrow pointed. It pointed to car keys! I blinked and my eyes widened in anxiety and excitement. Before I took it off the keyholder, though, I tried to think: isn't this too much? Asking me to help their kids survive for my college fees is good enough. But to lend me a car? This is over the top.

But still, excitement won over. I took the keys and walked outside to find a silver grey BMW parked outside the front. I walked over and pressed the autolock. It opened. My jaw dropped as I went to the driver's side and ducked out of the rain.

The leather was comfortable and warm. I gulped.

Dr. Carlisle Cullen is lending me this car and it's only for taking care of his two sons. Isn't that too much? I shook my head and started the car. And then I drove away to the nearest supermarket in Forks.

I was back in twenty minutes. The car was fast and easy, so different from mine, that I was almost too scared to drive it lest it breaks.

I bought some celery, cereal, milk, chicken, and other ingredients for chicken empanada or calzone. Thankfully there was ready-made wrapping available in the market so I didn't have to prepare _that_, too. It was almost five in the evening and so I decided to start preparing for dinner.

It was halfway through five when I heard a loud wail from upstairs. Startled, I shut the stove off and ran upstairs, rushing all the way, only to find a two year old with red rimmed eyes and a strange fear in his eyes. I walked over to him and immediately he stopped crying when he saw me.

I sat beside him and he crawled over to my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck and sobbing against my chest. I could feel the fear from him.

"It was only a bad dream, honey," I whispered, though I didn't know what I was talking about. "You're going to be okay." I closed my eyes and kissed his head.

I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back up and down soothingly, whispering and kissing him alternately. When he was calm, I opened my eyes and saw him looking up at me. He was smiling shyly now, looking at me through his lashes. Though his smile hid most of it, I could still see the fear in his eyes.

What could this toddler gone through when he was younger? I smiled at him, assuring him, and kissed his forehead. He sighed and rested his cheek against the base of my throat, surprising me. Kids are so trusting. I was scared suddenly.

What if this kid gets too attached to me? What do I tell him?

My arms were still wrapped around him when I felt someone looking at me. I would have passed it on as paranoia but my eyes strayed to the door.

Sooner rather than later, I was looking at the brightest, most beautiful pair of green eyes I have ever seen. He was looking at me, aloof and obviously a little wary, but still also surprised as his eyes strayed to his brother. I gulped nervously.

"Um… hi," I said.

His eyes flickered to me once more and he nodded in acknowledgment. My heart stopped beating for a second and then it began beating faster than usual… which is usually unhealthy.

"Mommy?" Ace said. "You owway?" [You okay?]

I took deep breaths and ripped my eyes off the boy by the door. I looked down at Ace and smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm okay," I whispered.

"I'm guessing you're Bella." The voice was sweet, soft, silky, smooth, velvety… but cold as ice and emotionless as a rock. I looked up, nervous, and nodded before looking out the window. "Well, welcome home, I guess."

When I looked up again, he was shrugging his shoulders. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and it was obvious that he just got up from sleep. I stood up, carrying Ace, and shrugged, too.

"You can go back to sleep," I said again. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"You're making dinner?" He was surprised.

"I found your dad's note," I muttered dryly as I began walking to the door. "Do you want to take Ace or do I have to have him in the kitchen?"

"We'll see who he wants. Do you want to stay with mommy, Ace?"

"Mommy," answered the toddler.

Edward shrugged again. "He stays with you. Call me for dinner."

And then he turned around and walked away. I followed a few steps behind and waved a little when he entered his room. I walked down to the living room and took a deep breath.

What… was that?

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**End note:** yeah... there it is. I know it's a little too boring, and it will stay boring until the eighth or ninth chapter, but I promise i'm trying be make it better. So, how do you like the story so far? :)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Hello! So, thanks for reading you guys! Even though I know it's boring, I'm really trying to make things better. Anyway, the JS Prom is over, the junior's ball is done with as well, and Here's a late Valentines update for everyone. Yeah, it's a change of POV, too.

disclaimer: I own nothing and no one but the plot and the two year old. :)

**Chapter 7:** Bedtime Stories

[Edward POV]

I was dreaming of green grass and blue skies when I was woken by a shrill cry coming from my brother's room. I was about to just ignore it and let him cry his nightmare out, but my conscience scolded me and told me to check on him.

When I left my room, I froze when I almost bumped into someone running down the hallway. I could smell their perfume from where I stood—a sweet, strawberry scent that I've never even smelled before. I looked down the hallway and saw them enter my brother's room.

There was one word in my mind: _f.v_.ck

I gulped nervously and ran after them, but, to my utter surprise and disbelief, I watched as my brother crawled into a girl's lap and cry against her. She wrapped her arms around him and he was so… quiet that it was impossible for that boy to be Adrian Cullen.

Not even my mother could shut him up so easily. As I studied her I was suddenly aware by how _naturally_ it was for them to act this way. I gulped, a little nervously. She was hugging Ace against her chest while he hugged her tightly back.

She was obviously flustered and nervous. Is this her first time doing this?

And then it hit me. This was her. Isabella Marie Swan. My mouth dried suddenly, and my heart beat five times faster as I saw her shift and bring her face up to meet with mine. As soon as she did, I was soon staring at the deepest, most beautiful pair of brown eyes I've ever seen. They were so… I shook myself internally.

I will _not_ turn gay and let this little thing make me. I put on my favorite mask of all—the cold, indifferent one that scares anyone away. I reluctantly ripped my eyes away from hers and looked at Ace in her arms, still surprised and all that.

"Um… hi." She sounded nervous, scared even. I resisted the urge to smile. This is good. I rarely liked it when my parents entrusted my brother's wellbeing to another person. It was like they didn't trust me. But there was something else in her voice that made me want to acknowledge her in some way. To let her know what I _know_ she exists, and that I'm letting her exist.

I nodded at her… well, she _is_ the girl. You know, _the_ girl? Ugh.

Ace must have whispered something to her because she looked down at him and whispered something back. Oh, what I would give to hear what they talked about. In compensation for my little annoying thoughts, I decided to talk.

"I'm guessing you're Bella. Well, welcome home, I guess."

I made sure I sounded cold, secretly telling her to just go home. I shrugged. What surprised me, though, is that she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she stood up and carried Ace with her.

"You can go back to sleep," she told me. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"You're making dinner?" Honestly speaking, I could _not_ hide my surprise. I'm driving her away, and here she is, talking about making us dinner? What the hell?

"I found your dad's note," she muttered softly, as if it was meant for her alone, as she began walking toward me… the door. "Do you want to take Ace or do I have to have him in the kitchen?"

"We'll see who he wants. Do you want to stay with mommy, Ace?" Again I was surprised. First because she suggested I take my brother—which I never said no to—and second because I wanted to give _her_ a choice, too… and third, because I called her mommy. Why did I do that?

"Mommy," my brother answered sleepily. I gulped. He looked so sure, so… at home that I didn't really want to ruin the moment. He didn't call anyone mommy. She called mom 'mom' and dad 'dad'. But… I guess he wants young parents, coz he likes calling me daddy.

I just shrugged it off. "He stays with you. Call me for dinner."

I turned around and walked down the hallway to my room. I glanced at Bella before I entered, and saw her give me a little wave, a smile on her face. I shut the door on her before I could change my mind.

Her smile was so genuine… so… true that it made my heart constrict.

I gulped once more as I looked around my dim room. My eyes found their quarry and I walked over to my bedside table. I knelt in front of it and opened the little door, revealing an empty compartment, except for a silver tin box which sat in the middle.

I pulled it out and rested it on my lap as I sat on the bed. I snapped the lid open and there were the two familiar things inside—a leather case and a white, velvet one.

I knew and have memorized what was inside each of the items but still, I couldn't help but want to confirm some things. I took the leather case and opened it. The paper—which held the most important documents of my life—was still snugly stuck inside, still crisp and alive.

I grabbed the velvet case this time, still staring at the engraving on the lid.

I gulped.

This was it.

_IMWS_

Those were the four letters on the lid. Under that, I know, were four letters: _EAEC, _letters that might mean nothing to the layperson, but it meant my name to me.

I didn't open the box anymore. I put both items in into the larger silver box and closed it, putting it back into the bedside table, turning the lock, and keeping the key under my pillow.

And then I lay back down and sighed. As I closed my eyes to sleep I could only see one thing: the most beautiful shade of brown I have ever seen in the past seventeen years of my life.

I was awakened from my dream of meadows and brown eyes by a knock on my door. I heard the soft screech of metal as the door opened, and then I heard the most angelic voice, ever.

"Edward? Get up. Dinner's ready."

I groaned. "Later."

"Edward. I said get up. The kid's not gonna eat unless you do."

Damn you, Ace Cullen. No, my brother does not want to eat dinner unless I'm there or unless I tell him to… myself. And if I leave bed now, I won't be able to get sleep back until _after_ I've eaten.

"Five minutes… please…?"

I heard a sigh. "I'm turning the lights on."

"Holy Poseidon! Okay, I'm getting up!"

My eyes shot open and I was on my feet in a second. I stopped because I felt dizzy suddenly, but as soon as it passed, I looked at the most beautiful—but probably the most annoying, too—person I think I know.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Get out of your room and go downstairs—your brother's waiting for you."

I raised an eyebrow, completely breaking my little façade a while ago, but not giving a damn. "And you, milady?"

"I," she stated, "am going home. I think my father—"

"MOMMY," someone shouted from downstairs.

"—needs help with dinner," she continued. She was miffed. "Now, if I'm right and you're 'daddy', you better get down there so I can give him his vitamins and I could get home."

"Why don't you finish it off and tuck him into bed?"

She checked her watch. "…because it's eight thirty and I have to be home."

I rolled my eyes and gestured for her to leave. As we left my room, I made sure I had my mask once more. I will _not_ let this girl barge into the walls I've created around my brother and me. I will _not_ let her enter our lives this way. I don't care who she is or who she will be.

She walked ahead of me to the dining room, where a two year old was bouncing on his chair with food set all around the table. I mouth watered appreciatively. We rarely have this kind of dinner because my mother is rarely home as well.

There were boiled potatoes, dressed fruits… calzone.

I sat down and looked at each platter of food appreciatively.

"Thank you for the food, mommy," I muttered.

"Than oh fow da food, mommy," Ace repeated [Thank you for the food, mommy].

Bella laughed. "That's alright. Now if you have a conscience, you're going to let me go home now and cook my dad this dinner, too."

I looked up at her, mask broken once more, with my eyebrow raised.

She rolled her eyes, knowing what I meant. "Yes, boss, it _is_ late. But he still needs to eat."

"Let him have take-out," I told her, and gestured for the seat beside where a girlfriend usually sat. "Sit down and eat."

She bit her lip and I groaned inwardly. She looked so adorable. Finally, she sighed and sat down, smiling at Ace as he giggled and cutting herself some calzone.

"Now, let us eat in peace."

Eat in peace it is.

We were so quiet I felt like my ears were going to pop. Is this how awkward life is or will be with Bella? And I couldn't help but smile.

She was going to make this far easier than I thought.

She was _not_ trying to break our walls down.

It was half past nine when she finished everything Ace needed before sleep: brush his teeth, drink his milk, change his clothes, and get tucked into bed.

"Stowey," he insisted when we were in his room. [Story]

"Bella has to go home, Ace," I scolded mildly, softly because it was way past his bedtime.

"STOWEY!" he said more forcefully with the tone of a fit coming up.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you a story," Bella placated, glancing nervously at me. "So… what kind of stories does he like?"

"Adventure, most of the time," I answered her look. "Sometimes he likes detective stories, too."

She nodded and knelt beside Ace's bed. I should've left them, but somehow, I couldn't. Instead, I walked over and sat down beside Bella, resting my elbow on my propped up knee.

She had both of hers tucked under her, and she had one hand resting on her lap. Her other hand was playing with my brother's brown locks.

"So there was a boy named Bruno," she began. The name rang a distant bell in my brain… and I remembered we had a dog named Bruno when I was younger. I resisted the urge to smirk. "He was only eight and he was born in Germany.

"His father was a soldier. Do you know what a soldier is, Ace?"

"Soller?" [Soldier]

"Yes. They're the ones who fight for our country."

I saw Ace nod under his sheets.

"Well, okay. So Bruno has an older sister, Gretel, who is twelve, and is very smart and pretty. When they moved houses, she was the only friend he had."

My eyes widened. I know that story. I looked at Bella in surprise, wanting to yell at her. _Why are you telling this story to a freaking two year old?!_ [A/N: If you don't know the story, it's called Boy in Striped Pyjamas]

But she wasn't looking at me.

"That is, until he went to their backyard and went into the forest. It was wide and far and—"

She stopped and looked at me. I had unconsciously reached out and gripped her hand. She flinched. I began shaking my head but she rolled her eyes and gave me a look that said, 'do you think I'm stupid?' so I released her and nervously listened to see how it plays out.

"So, as I was saying, their backyard was a forest. And then there was this tree… he passed by that tree and he saw the most beautiful place ever. It had flowers and fountains and deer and squirrels and…"

[A/N: And yes, I changed that bit]

Her voice drifted away at the sound of Ace's soft, deep, even breaths. She smiled tenderly and kissed his forehead, an affectionate gesture. As I watched her, the moonlight hit her face and hair, and I was suddenly struck by that sad, lonely kind of look on her face.

"You're a very lucky guy, you know that?" she said, her voice soft and laced with sadness. When she glanced at me, I could see shadows in her eyes—fear? "Take care of your brother."

I nodded mutely, unable to answer her properly. What does she mean?

She looked up to the ceiling.

"I should have had a brother, too," she whispered. "But two months before labor, my mom got into an accident in Florida. She got a miscarriage," she added. "But not only did the baby died… she died shortly after, from a heart attack.

"Four months after the baby was aborted, she left the hospital. Her heart was too broken for comfort… why am I even telling you this?" she whispered. She blinked several times, obviously alarmed of her outburst, while I just sat there, surprised or shocked, I wasn't sure, staring at her.

"I… guess I'll go now."

"Do you need a ride home?"

She bit her lip in that annoyingly adorable way again. Finally she nodded. We stood up at the same time and I let her lead me out of my brother's room. All that time I stared at her form, her small back and long brown hair. Here was a girl with a bright smile but such a sad life.

"Your dad lent me a car," she told me. I looked at her and saw that she was looking at me. We were on the porch now, just waiting out.

"Which car?" I managed to say.

"The silver BMW."

I nodded. That's the newest one in my dad's collection. I guess that's part of his 'fun'.

"And he also said he'll be home around midnight."

"Enough time for a tour then."

"Huh?"

"Can you give me a quick tour of the town?"

"Um… oh, sure," she said with a roll of her eyes. It was almost ten anyway, and so I walked her to the garage to my Volvo. She looked around the place with awe written in bold letters across her forehead.

"Oh my gods, this is awesome," she whispered as she walked up and stood beside me.

"You like cars?"

"Most of the time."

"These cars?"

She shrugged, but I can see a smile on her lips in the dim light of the garage.

"Do they come up to scratch?"

"'Course they do! Where's yours?"

I pointed and her jaw dropped.

"Dude, that looks awesome."

I grinned at her, mask or rule or whatever completely forgotten.

"So, what about that tour?"

"In that car?"

"You want that car?"

"Yes!"

"Then can you give me a tour? We can use my Volvo."

She continued grinning at me, happy obviously… and she nodded. "Come on, Mr. Cullen. Let me give you a tour of Forks, Washington." And then she laughed. What she was laughing about, I have no idea.

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**A/N**: Hihihihi. There. That's up. So, how is it? Does the _story_ come up to scratch? I know it's still sketchy and hard to follow, but, as I've said before, I'm really trying. And help me, please! Thanks :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Here's the eighth chapter. It's sort of a fluff... a kinda boring one, I guess. You can tell me honestly. Ha-ha. I _am_ only 14, and I don't know these stuff. So, anyway. Enough chit-chat.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing in this story but the fiction plot and the two-year old. :)

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**Chapter 8: **The Playground

[Bella POV]

It was half-past twelve that Saturday when I finally got Edward to drive me home. I wasn't able to sleep until five in the morning, and only two hours later Alice and Rosalie came barging into my room, bouncing and giggling and shouting at me to get up.

Of course, I had no choice.

They left after breakfast, and I left after them—to the Cullens.

Carlisle was just about to leave when I got there, and we finally got to chat. He told me the pay will be given once I've graduated, but I was too sleepy to actually listen to him or respond correctly. I just nodded at him and he left.

The house was the same as I left it last night, and soon I was attacked by the two year old that is Ace Cullen. Edward was right behind him in a white shirt and black pants.

"He wants the park," he muttered and pushed me out the door once more, this time carrying Ace. "Let's get him to the park."

I could see that he, too, has suffered from a sleepless night, and somehow I wondered if it was caused by me. I giggled at that thought, causing him to look at me, and I blushed. But who's to say he wasn't thinking about me last night? I _was_ thinking of him.

I shook my head as I hopped into his car and dragged Ace into my lap. The kid rolled the window down to lowest and stared out in awe. It was just Forks—green and brown and the little morning mist.

It was a clear day when we arrived at the park just a little while—about half an hour or so—out of Forks. We let Ace go, scream around, play with the other kids his age and we sat down on the benches with the other kids' parents.

I couldn't fight my eyelids anymore. Edward seemed not to be able to, either. He bent over and rested his elbows on his knees, so I rested my elbow on his shoulder and covered my eyes with my cupped hand. He moved a bit, startling me, but only so we could both be comfortable.

He crossed his arms between his legs and rested his forehead on top of them. I bent my arm over his back and rested my face against it so my nose was practically touching his back. His shirt moved with every move, so I tried not to move much.

"I'm so sleepy," he muttered. My arm vibrated with his voice.

"Me, too. What happened to you?"

"Well, Ace woke up at only Zeus knows what hour, looking for you, and then dad came up thinking there was a murderer in the house. Damn, my head hurts. What's up with you?"

"Urgh. I forgot that we're having this secret birthday surprise for one of my friends tomorrow, and just fell asleep from doing homework when his sister and girlfriend barged into my room, demanding my ideas." I yawned. "This life is crazy."

"You want to sleep in the car a bit?"

"And leave Ace behind? I think not."

"No, I'll stay around."

"I thought I'm supposed to be the nanny."

"Yes, but—"

"I'm staying, Edward."

Our conversation was cut off by a mother coming to sit beside me.

"Do you mind if I stay here? Playing with the toddler is really tiring."

I straightened up and nodded at her, smiling.

"So, which one's yours?" she asked.

My eyes widened. Wait—she thinks I'm a mother?

I looked at the rest of the parents sitting with us. They were all looking at me, expectant to know, and I suddenly realized that they _all_ thought I'm a mother. And they probably think Edward's the father.

"They boy in green—that's ours," said the man in question. His voice was sleepy, but smooth as velvet and affectionate as hell. I gulped and smiled at the woman beside me.

She smiled back at me. "Well, you're lucky he isn't as hyper active as my twins."

"Oh, you don't know Ace," Edward muttered. I laughed.

"Forgive him. He has to stay with Ace all day, while I only stay with him all night," I said to placate the confused stares we got.

"Why?" one father asked, this time really interested.

I took a deep breath. I really don't like lying.

"Well, the mother's still in school, and the father takes the night shift at the local hospital, so you know how the schedule goes," Edward said smoothly from behind me. He rested his hand on my waist and pulled me to him, and I felt his face against the back of my head. "Careful," he whispered, "I don't like the way he's looking at you."

My eyes widened as I turned around a bit to look at him. He smiled and kissed my neck, two gestures that profoundly shocked me. I tried to smile at him. I smiled more when I saw Ace coming up.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look wha I fown!" [Look what I found]

Both Edward and I shifted to as he ran to me and rammed against my legs, jumping up and down and holding his hand up. There was a butterfly resting on his little fist.

"Aw, baby, how'd you get that?" I asked.

"Fow mommy!" [For mommy]

My eyes widened and I thought to kiss his head as Edward laughed from beside me.

"Well, Ace, congratulations. I think you just officially stole daddy's place in mommy's heart," he said, ruffling his brother's hair.

"That's not true," I said, glancing nervously at the parents behind me. "Is it, Ace? I still love daddy, don't I?"

"Love daddy!" he shrieked. I flinched at the sound.

"Okay, dude. Go play with the others now."

"Bye, mommy, bye, daddy!"

"Bye, baby," we said at the same time. When he was away and the butterfly was above his head, we turned around to look at the other parents who were all smiling at us. All, except that man Edward warned me about.

"That's such a cute gesture," the woman beside me gushed.

"Well, he does that every day," Edward mused.

"And he picks my flowers," I added. Edward chuckled and disguised his next message as a kiss on my neck.

"Move closer to me."

I gulped and moved back, resting my head against the crook of his neck as he fully wrapped an arm around my waist and once more kissed my neck.

I got a better idea.

"Why don't we show we're having number two?" I whispered in his ear. He smiled against my neck and moved his hand a little and rubbed my belly. My eyes widened in surprise. I wasn't talking _that_!

"Oh, are you trying for a second one?" one woman asked, looking at the gesture.

Edward raised his face and kissed my head. "He's already there."

The woman in front of us shrieked. "Really? How many months?"

"One and a half," I answered. Edward continued rubbing my belly, making sure that the other man was looking.

Three hours later, we were at a café, eating early lunch. Ace was seated between us in a circular table.

He was playing with his pancakes and cup of hot choco while I watched him through the rim of my mug of coffee. Edward was slumped over the table, his eyes closed. There goes the driver, I thought. When Ace finished his food I tried to shake Edward, but was only answered by a groan.

"Give me your keys, then," I told him. He gave it to me without hesitation and stood up, scooping his brother with him. He left with me his wallet, too, gesturing to the cashier. I rolled my eyes at him as I stood up and he began making his way to the parking lot.

After paying, I found them both on the hood of the Volvo, the older one glaring at me under the grey sky of Washington.

"Sorry," I muttered sarcastically as I unlocked the door. He stormed into the passenger seat almost immediately. I rolled my eyes once more and went to the driver's side. The hour drive back to Forks was quiet, except for Ace's questions and the radio.

We all got off when we were at the house, and by that time Ace was out. He was snoring softly when I took him from his brother's arms and carried him up to his room. Again as I entered I remembered what happened here last night—my outburst, my honesty… my almost break-down.

I blushed as I remembered. One of the things I hated most was when I can't control what comes out of my mouth. I put the toddler down on the bed and straightened up, watching him for several minutes before going back downstairs to rest. The playground, even when you're not the one playing, is a very tiring and exhausting place.

Edward was on the couch, his head on the armrest and his arm over his eyes, blocking out the lights. I sighed. I _was _supposed to take care of the both of them, so I walked around a bit, looking through cupboards, and finally found what I was looking for—a small throw-pillow and a blanket.

I walked back to the living room and watched Edward sleep. If there was one thing I failed to recognize when I first saw him, it would be the fact that he was good-looking. His jaw was perfectly lined—without hair—and, even with his arm over them, I know how his eyelashes fan over his pale cheeks. His hair was unruly, as it seemed to always be, and I slowly, carefully reached under his neck and lifted his head.

As I did so, my palm came in contact with his hair, and I grinned. It was like touching silk. I slid the pillow under his head and threw the blanket over his body. He muttered something like 'cold' in his sleep, which made me chuckle.

The thought of having the only two other inhabitants of a big house asleep makes me want to sleep, too… but obviously that can't be because I decided to make my homework today. I went to my bag, grabbed everything I needed, and flopped on the soft carpet, facing the coffee table so my back was against Edward. I put my earphones on and played a song, listening along as I began writing.

I was halfway through an essay when one of my favorite songs began playing on my iPod. I smiled and let the beat carry me as the opening lines came in.

_I need another story,  
Something to get off my chest.  
My life gets kinda boring,  
Need something that I can confess._

I stopped writing for a moment and stretched my arms over my head as the chorus came in.

_Tell me what you want to hear…  
Something that will light those ears.  
I'm sick of all the insincere,  
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away._

As I stretched, one of my plugs came off and I heard something behind me that made me want to run to the hills and hide there forever.

Edward.

Clapping.

"You have a good voice."

_Did I just sing that out loud?!_

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Yeah, obviously you did. So, review? :)


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: ** Hi again! So I updated twice yesterday, and weeeeeeeeeeeeeeh! I got reviews. Well, just a few but they're really cool ones. Here's the ninth chapter.

As to some of the questions you're asking, I'll answer them at the footnote. So. :)

To poodlegirl and Kat: here, a little insight into Bella's sickness. Hope you guys like it!

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**Chapter 9: **Secrets

[Bella POV]

"_You have a good voice."_

Did I just sing that out loud?!

I took my other plug off and gulped nervously.

"Why are you stopping?" he asked. My heartbeat spiked in embarrassment. I knew how bad I sounded like. What, was he teasing me? I've been teased enough. "Bella, I'm talking to you."

His statement was like a break in the clouds. My breathing sped up and my eyes widened in surprise. I searched my bag for my emergency inhaler as my throat began to close in.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"A-as-asthma," I stuttered, "a…tack."

He pushed my fumbling hands away from my bag and began searching inside himself. Two seconds later he was thrusting the plastic tube into my mouth, spraying the cooling, relieving liquid down my throat while his other hand rested on the small of my back, keeping me straight.

I reached out to his hand to push the inhaler away but froze when my skin came into contact with his. It was like I was electrocuted—that's how his touch felt like. It was terrifying at the same time exhilarating.

"You're okay now?" he asked, his mouth near my ear.

I nodded. He took his hand away and chucked the inhaler into my bag, assisting me to sit on the couch before he actually let me go. I closed my eyes to calm my beating heart down. When I opened them, he was standing in front of me, his eyes hooded, guarded once more. The green orbs were cold as ice as they stared at me. Somehow, that didn't scare me, when it usually did… it was like I could see something more to his façade than he thinks.

He sighed and took me under the elbow, standing me up gently like I was a doll.

"I can walk," I protested when he kept hold of my arm as he led me out the door.

"I know," he answered, his voice flat. "Come on, follow me."

He let my arm go but surprised me by taking my hand. Once more I felt that electric shock running up and down my arms straight to my chest. Only this time it wasn't the painful pinching of a heart attack I felt… it was more like an unsettled, excited and scared hammering.

He led me down the hallway and into one room which seemed like a study. He led me across the room to one of three doors, which he opened for me. I took one step forward and he pushed in, closing the door behind us.

"What about—"

"There's a monitor here," he interrupted, pointing to a speaker on top of a table as he strode past me. I studied the room. It was small compared to all the other rooms I've seen, but it was homey and comfortable with worn couches and shelves, lamps and carpets, all—including the walls and windowsills—in varying shades of brown.

I looked at Edward and my eyes widened. He was walking to a piano that I have, amazingly, missed when I was looking around me. He surprised me more by turning around and beckoning me towards him. I walked to him slowly, unsure, but his eyes bore into mine, beseeching me.

When I was right in front of him, he gestured over the bench. I sat down immediately and he sat down beside me, his fingers immediately finding the right notes and chords for the song I was just listening and singing to a few minutes ago.

I looked at him curiously, and then I looked back at his fingers which were effortlessly floating over the blacks and whites. What surprised me more was that he nudged me and whispered:

"Sing with me."

[A/N: **Bold is Edward, **_Italic is Bella, __**Bold-italic for the both of them**_]

**I need another story,  
Something to get off my chest.  
My life gets kinda boring,  
Need something that I can confess.**

I didn't start immediately. Well, first off, I was not at all confident about my voice… compared to his. Second off, his voice was _amazing_! He stopped playing with one hand and reached out to squeeze one of mine, encouraging me. He pulled back and continued playing. I looked at him and he nodded. I took a deep breath and… here goes.

'_Til all my sleeves are stained red,  
From all the truth that I've said,  
Come by it honestly I swear,  
Thought you saw me wink, no,  
I've been on the brink so…_

_**Tell me what you want to hear,  
Something that will light those ears,  
I'm sick of all the insincere,  
**__So I'm gonna give all my secrets away._

_**This time,  
Don't need another perfect line,  
Don't care if critics never jump in line,  
**_**I'm gonna give all my secrets away.**

We cut the song short, but he continued playing a song I could not quite recognize but was vaguely familiar.

"You know, your voice _does_ sound good," he said after a while.

"How long were you up?"

"I woke up when you began singing… the first verse."

I groaned in frustration and embarrassment.

"Hey! You sounded great."

"No, I don't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He surprised me by reaching behind me to the side table on my side, taking the remote that, again, I missed. He pressed one button and then another, and soon I was hearing the piano playing. My eyes widened when I heard him sing… and the long pause… and then I was singing.

"You recorded it?" I asked, incredulous.

He nodded. "I thought it was worth it. It was. Listen."

I did listen. To be honest, I do sound a little good… but not as good as—

My thoughts froze as our voices joined for the chorus. My eyes shot to his and saw that he was smiling at me, proud, I think, as he gestured towards the speaker. Wow, was I really the one singing? She… sounded so good!

"That _can't _be me."

"No one else has been in here."

I rolled my eyes at him and continued listening as he repeated the whole thing. He kept on repeating the song until I finally agreed and admitted that I _do_ sound good.

Two hours later, Ace was still asleep, we were still in the music room, Edward was playing one song after another, and I had my back against his arm, leaning against it as I sketched the room. We have been in companionable silence within the past hour, and it was never more comfortable.

He's asked me several questions about me, and I've asked him. Now he knows that I'm 17, I'm sick, and I'm an only child. I know almost the same about him, and then we sang our version of Maroon 5's Payphone, which, again, was recorded.

"So you start school tomorrow?" I decided to ask as I finished shading the walls.

He hummed. We were quiet again until he talked.

"Think we'll share classes?"

"I don't know."

"I have a question."

"Ask away."

"What are you going to tell your friends about me?"

I straightened up and looked at him, but he had his face screwed to the piano, concentrating. He glanced my way before looking back at the piano once more.

"Well?"

"I don't know. I think we should pretend we don't know each other."

He frowned. "Our dads are practically brothers."

I did a face-palm. And then an idea crossed my mind. "I know—you'll be my long lost childhood friend."

He considered that a bit before he shrugged. "That would be cool."

I laughed and ruffled his hair, which he gave back with a wild poke on my side. I shrieked in surprise, jumped and fell to the floor.

"I'm not sorry," he said as he continued playing. I laughed once more before straightening up.

"Thanks for this," I told him. "Really."

He nodded. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

I nodded back. He stood up and we walked together upstairs to Ace's room, only to find him asleep. I walked downstairs and went straight to the kitchen as Edward went to the living room. I prepared what I needed for dinner and went back to the living room to watch a bit, only to find Edward reading my essays.

"HEY!" I bellowed, grabbing the papers from him. His face was straight, expressionless, and I wanted to punch him right then, but I restrained. I stuck my tongue out at him as a way to say 'I'm pissed'. I slid my essays into my bag and began fixing the blankets and pillow Edward used.

"And thanks for that," he said, gesturing to the blanket.

"You were out for almost four hours," I told him, computing it.

"And you haven't had a blink of sleep at all," he shot back. I rolled my eyes.

"I can manage."

He looked away from me at the same time the doorbell rang. His brows furrowed and his eyes widened in surprise when we heard a voice; a female voice.

"Edward, are you in? It's Carmen."

Edward's brow shot up as he glanced at the door, and then at the clock, and then at me. He looked at me longest, and I realized… he was asking for permission?

"You're asking for my permission?" I asked.

He shrugged. "You're the mom."

I shrugged, too, and turned away towards the kitchen as he walked to the door. I entered the kitchen and began preparing something for dinner—anything I could actually think to cook. I toasted bread, beat the eggs, sautéed the vegetables and meat…

My mind was practically not on what I was doing. It was on what has happened today… between Edward and I. If there was one thing I realized about him, it's the fact that he's a really protective guy. I've proved that at the park today—with the other man staring his eyes out at me and Edward physically telling him off… it made me smile as I thought of his brother.

My thoughts trailed off—what if he had a sister instead of a brother? It almost made me laugh, except someone grabbed my legs from behind and made me squeal in shock and fear. I turned around and my legs tangled with the two year old I was supposed to be taking care of, and so we both fell to the floor with his arms around my crossed legs and his head resting on my thighs. I hit my behind quite roughly, and I was sure that it would bruise tonight.

"You okay?"

I looked up to see Edward at the door of the kitchen with a small, beautiful brunette standing beside him. Her blue eyes were on me as she stood there, quiet, deliberative.

"Yeah," I answered after a while. I looked at the two year old and pried his arms off my legs, and then pulled him up to my hip as I stood up. He was grinning from ear to ear as if he'd just enjoyed doing that. I walked over to his brother and passed the boy to him, who willingly took the weight. Edward was smirking, so I made a face at him and turned away, walking to the counter to continue cooking.

"Oh yeah, we're having someone for dinner tonight. Be sure to cook one more serving for another person."

"I'm not eating here tonight," I told him.

"Why not?"

I rolled my eyes though he could not see. "It's a Sunday. Sunday nights are supposed to be spent with family."

He snorted. "_Right_."

"At least leave yourself enough reason to conjure an illusion, Edward." I knew what he was talking about—family practically means _nothing_ to me, anyway. Well, lucky him he has a younger brother. I don't have anyone else other than my father.

"It's your first dinner away from Charlie on a Sunday."

It was my turn to snort. "Are you sure I _am_ with Charlie on Sundays?"

He laughed. "No. Stay for dinner tonight—think of it as my personal request. Thanks, Bella."

"Just admit you need someone to keep your brother quiet."

"Yeah… that, and I really like you being here. I gotta go, I think Carmen is getting bored."

"I'm not." I froze when I heard that voice. It was soft, like a gentle caress, and it made my eyes water. Only this afternoon Edward heard me sing. She was only speaking and she sounded that good… she was ten times better than me.

There was a long silence after that answer, but as I turned and looked, I saw that I was once more alone in the kitchen. The thought of being alone seemed to do it for me. My legs jerked off and I fell to the ground, my heart pounding against my chest and my breathing spiking.

I fisted my hands and stopped breathing, hearing nothing but the rush of blood through my ears and the hard beating of my heart against my chest. When it began to hurt I let my breath out, drew one in and held it once more. I did this exercise for over seven more times until my heart was calm enough and I was strong enough to stand again.

Sigh.

* * *

Okay, there. Writing this was really fun, especially the music room scene. For your questions:

**What is Bella sick with?** Well, it's already on this-she's sick with something of the heart. You'll learn more as you read more... and as I update more.

**Why did Ace call Bella mommy? And why does he call Edward his daddy?** The answer to those questions will be part of the whole plot arc :)

I'd really appreciate it if you told me which scenes you liked/disliked most. To Cinderfire16: mehehehe. That's part of the whole fun. Thanks for the review :)


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: Here, just a little treat. I don't know, but I decided to cut this one into two chapters. Don't worry, I'll be uploading part 2 in a bit... and I hope I still get reviews after that one. HAHAHAHA!

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**Chapter 10.5:** Sunday Night Part 1

[Bella POV]

As instructed, I had dinner in the Cullen household. I sat where I sat last night, while Carmen sat to my left while Edward on my right. Ace sat in front of the three of us, but he was ignoring Carmen completely. Dinner started off quiet, but it became more and more awkward as the minutes ticked by.

Finally, Edward spoke.

"Bella, this is Carmen, an old friend. Carmen, meet Bella—my childhood friend. She's the daughter of my dad's best friend."

I smiled at Carmen, but she was staring at me icily, coldly, like I did something really wrong. I gulped. "Hi, Carmen. It's nice to meet you."

Her lips lifted up in a half-smile and she moved her eyes from me to Edward coolly. "It's good to know you treasure old friendships, Edward."

"I do, more than you know. So, I heard you're seeing someone?"

"I'm not."

My earlier view of Carmen changed. It seemed her tone and voice always changed when she was denying something. And obviously, she was not happy with Edward's introduction.

"Do you plan on, soon?"

"Edward," she groaned. I rolled my eyes at the pair of them and caught Ace doing the same. He grinned at me and I smiled back, pointing my fork at his vegetables. He pouted.

"Do as your mom says, Ace," Edward warned before continuing with Carmen: "What's past is past, Carmen. So, who is the guy called Caezar again?"

Carmen did not answer fully. I was too engrossed in watching Ace eat his broccoli to care, but the next thing I know, something cold was seeping through my clothes.

"Oh shimatta!" I muttered, clumsily and noisily pushing my chair away from the table and standing. I saw a glass of cold water spilled on the floor, and Carmen was there, cleaning it up.** [A/N**: shimatta is 'oh crap!' in Japanese. Sorta picked it up from a close friend. Hihi**.]**

"I'm so sorry, Bella!" she said, standing up to wipe me down, too. I slapped her hands away and struggled to smile.

"Finish your meal," I told her. "I'll go look for something to change to."

Edward surprised me by standing. "Come on—I'll get you something."

I wanted to get away from Carmen, but I did _not_ want to go with Edward, either. But between Carmen and Edward, I think I'd choose the one I knew longer… and the one I trust better. He led me up to his room and I entered. It wasn't my first time entering a guy's room, considering Jasper and Garrett… but somehow, as I entered Edward's, it was a little awkward.

He threw to me a piece of clothing and pointed to the walk-in closet.

"Change there. I'll be out here."

I nodded as I caught the shirt and walked to the closet.

Three minutes later I was back out, my wet clothe in my hand and his new one on me. He smiled, pensive, and then gestured for me to leave his room. I did and went straight down to the dining room.

We were at the stairs when he suddenly grabbed my arm and turned me around to face him. I was so shocked that I stopped breathing when my eyes met his. I saw that he, too, was surprised, and it started my heart and breathing once more.

"Hey, forgive Carmen, okay?" he whispered, pleading. "She's… a little unstable."

I cocked my head to the side, honestly lost, intrigued, curious, but not wanting to intrude. I decided that if he wanted to tell me, he would. That's his freedom.

"She…" he stopped talking, let my arm go, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. I gulped as he did that—I wanted to. I blinked when he looked at me again, decided.

"She's an ex-girlfriend. You understand that, don't you?"

I stared at him, unsure, and then shook my head. "I've never been there."

He blinked. "You don't have _friends_ who have?"

I tried to think. _No… Alice and Jasper are steady… so are Ben and Angela…. So are Kate and Gar. Rose has been single the whole time you knew her…_ there was only one person left on the list.

"Well, if you count bisexual players, then _sure_ I have. But she was never _unstable…_" Tanya was always break-up and go.

His eyes were wide as he looked at me, and then he chuckled and shook his head. "Anyway, I've told you why she's acting like this. She's… just not comfortable with you being around."

"Then maybe I should go?"

"Bella," he sighed, "I _would_ let you go, but sadly it's Carmen we're talking about. There's _something_ about her that anyone would consider dangerous. _That_ is why I don't want to be alone with her tonight, and that is why I don't want her to know you are."

"You think she'll murder me in her sleep?"

"She might, Bella. I told you, she's unstable. She can do anything."

I nodded slowly and turned my back on him, walking down to the dining room. Carmen was nowhere to be found, and Ace was there, looking white as if he's seen a ghost. I went to his side and took him in my arms. He curled up against me immediately.

"Where's Carmen?" Edward asked, distressed.

Ace raised a shaky arm and pointed towards the adjacent room. I was about to go there when Edward stopped me and walked past. As he did, he said: "Stay here. If I'm not out within fifteen, or if you notice something wrong, _call the cops_."

I nodded.

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Boom. Review? :)

What do you like most? Which one do you hate? Tell me. I have the rest of my life to improve this one. Ha-ha!


	11. Chapter 105

**Chapter 10.5**: Sunday Night Part 2

[Bella POV]

Five minutes.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

My heartbeat was speeding with each ticking second, and I had to remind myself that I had to keep breathing. I held Ace closer to me, whose eyes were bulging, trained on the door his brother had disappeared into… less than ten minutes ago.

Ten minutes.

And yet it felt so long. _Too long,_ actually. There were no sounds. There was nothing. DEAR GODS OF OLYMPUS, WHAT ON LIVING EARTH IS HAPPENING?!

I walked to the table and took my phone from my bag, my hands shaking with fear and apprehension.

"Mommy," Ace whispered, "Weh is daddy?" [Where is daddy]

I looked at his wide, scared brown eyes and kissed his forehead. "He's in the other room. What happened to Carmen?" I never thought to ask him that before.

Again, he paled, and he made a face. "Knife," he whispered. "Red. Water. On he awm." [On her arm]

"What!" I exclaimed at the same time I heard a loud crash on the adjacent phone.

"Edward!" I screamed.

He entered the room alright, holding a bloody knife up, his face and clothes crumpled, glass hanging on to him.

"What—"

"She's not here," he cut me off. "She ran off."

"Ace said…"

"She was trying to kill herself, obviously."

I made a face, too. Suicidal break-ups. Was she serious with Edward? He looked tired, like he just ran half way through Forks, and, as he ran his hand through his hair, I noticed cuts, bruises, gushes on his arm and face.

"_What happened?_" I asked, perplexed, as I put the two year old down and ran to his brother.

* * *

We were in the living room, Edward's head on my lap, Ace lying on his chest, while I cleaned his cuts. He flinched when I dabbed it too hard, but he didn't complain. His eyes were closed as he stroked his sleeping brother's back up and down.

I consciously looked at the time, and sighed. Well, I might as well get this over with. I took the bandage from the med kit beside me and pillowed one up on top of one of the bigger cuts.

Edward still has not answered my question, and obviously he has no plans to. And, I rationalized, he has no reason to. I'm not family.

"There," I said softly, "all done."

He opened his eyes and stared right up ahead, not quite seeing, and he nodded. And then he closed his eyes again and sighed.

_I said,_ I meant to say, _it's all done. You can get off me now._ But I didn't say it. He was obviously tired. Whatever happened with Carmen did not only affect him physically but mentally as well. And then I gulped at the sudden thought of having a two year old watch someone much older almost take her life in front of him.

Edward's shirt was large and drafty, and the cold wind of Forks, Washington did nothing to help me. I didn't bring a jacket this morning because I did not actually plan on staying until this late, but… oh well.

"Shit… I gotta bring you home…"

Edward surprised me by muttering my name and sitting up, hitching his brother on his hip.

"Get your stuff ready… We'll be at the garage."

I blinked and he stood up, and then offered his free hand to me. I took it and he pulled me up almost effortlessly. He left with his brother sleeping in his arms, and so I sighed and turned around to make sure all my things were in my bag.

And then I followed them down the dark house, turning lights on as I walked, to the garage. When I got into the car, Edward passed Ace to me and he curled up on my lap immediately, sighing.

"Your mom might come home later tonight," I told Edward as he drove. We both checked the time on the dashboard at the same time. It was ten to ten. I shook my head as he nodded, and then it was silent once more. Half an hour later we were in front of my house.

"Good night, Edward."

"Yeah. 'Night."

I sighed and placed Ace on the seat as I got out, grabbing my bag. Before I could close the door, he bent over the seat and peered at me. I looked at him, too, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks. He smiled, halfhearted.

"I'm sorry about tonight."

I smiled back at him. "I'm okay. Go home. You look really tired."

He sighed. "Good night."

[Third person POV]

He drove away. She looked at the silver car as it disappeared down the curb before sighing and crossing the street to her house. It was dark except for the living room, where she could see her father watching the television while eating what looked like pizza.

Suddenly, a large pang of guilt hit her.

She left her father to fend for himself for another night once more. And she's come home late, wearing a guy's shirt, with no excuse for it.

She looked down the curb once more before entering her house, knowing what must be said and what mustn't.

At the same time, more than halfway across the town from her, a young man only a few months older than her stood in his room, looking outside the window, her face plastered on his mind like an addictive drug.

_What happens now?_

_Where does it go from here?_

There are a million questions asked every day, but only a hundred are ever answered in a lifetime.

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No, the story's not over yet. Don't worry. I have... like, half of the story to go. I haven't even explained the first few chapters yet. Ha-ha. So. Review?


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Hi. So I sorta messed up the last chapter. Haha. That's supposed to be chapter 10.5, not 105. Sorry 'bout that. :)

So here's the next chapter:)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the original book, story, or characters.

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**Chapter 11**: Reason.

[Bella]

I got home that night, said my goodnights to Charlie, went up to my room, cleaned myself up, changed into my pajamas, jumped into bed and… within two minutes I was out.

My dreams felt… oddly strange, detached from the dreams I knew so well. For some reason, since Renee died, the only dreams I had were of her and sometimes of my childhood. This time, it was different, though.

I was in front of a wall of trees—or, to be more specific, in the middle of the forest. Judging from the faint light above me, protruding lazily from the trees, it was nearing twilight. I looked up and saw the pale gray glow of the now rising moon.

I wasn't nervous. I wasn't scared. As I've said, I felt detached for some reason. I walked on. I didn't know where I was going, or why I was even dreaming that. But I knew it was a dream… even though it's a strange one.

There was a rustling sound to my left. I turned and was faced by a ghost-like creature… or… well, a woman. A pale, frail, sad woman. Her lifeless brown eyes looked at me with a mix of concern and fear, like she knew why I was there while I didn't. I cocked my head to one side, opening my mouth to speak, but before I could, she smiled.

Her smile stopped me. It was cold, almost terrifyingly so, but still I wasn't scared. And then she raised her hand, as if offering it to me. I looked at it, and then at her, back to her hand and then to her face again. Her smile and eyes grew colder every time.

"You know it's too late."

Somehow, I knew, too. I took her hand.

* * *

I woke up feeling more exhausted than I did the night before. Groaning, I stretched and looked out my window, where rain was pattering against the glass noisily. Sighing, I got out of my warm, comfortable yet oddly non-too-comforting bed and went downstairs to have breakfast.

After a silent meal and my morning rituals, I shouted my goodbye to Charlie—surprised that I left the house earlier than he did—and went to my car. As I drove to school my mind wandered to whether or not Edward will be coming today.

He probably wouldn't. Why would he? He was almost murdered last night for crying out loud! But as I neared my parking slot—and my friends—thoughts of him flew out the window. I left my car, dragging my bag with me, and went over to where Alice was.

"BELLA!" she shrieked. "Oh, my gods, what is _wrong_ with you?" Her excited chatter shut down immediately as she took my appearance in. I was well aware of how I looked. I saw when I looked at the mirror this morning—hair flying off to different directions, bags under eyes, pale skin paler than usual… for short, stressed.

"Nothing," I muttered as I gave her and Rosalie a hug each. Even Rose looked at me critically like a mother hen. I smiled at her, and, thankfully she smiled back.

"Come on, Bella. Let's get to class."

We walked together towards class, talking nonstop about the secret party tonight we'd throw for Jasper. I looked behind me, surprised he wasn't around at all.

"Oh, we made it look like we're all mad at Jasper," Tanya answered my look. And then she laughed. "Took a whole lot of screaming, yelling and a real good debate." She sighed, looking at me and the rolling her eyes. "Wish you were there, Bella, but honestly, I'm glad you weren't."

My jaw dropped, and I put my hand against my chest as a sign of being mock affronted.

Chelsea laughed and so did the others. So I just rolled my eyes as well, waved them away and entered my English class. Angela and Ben were fun as always, and so were the others. It was lunch time in the cafeteria when I finally—finally—found Edward. He was at the entrance, looking around, with Jessica and Lauren practically hanging off of him.

Our eyes locked, and he looked over his shoulder to tell someone something. And then he made a beeline towards me, his eyes locked on me. I looked away from him to the infuriated eyes of Jessica and Lauren, which, honestly, made me laugh.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked when I was calm enough.

"Library, probably," Alice answered. She was _so_ perked. I found it hard to believe that she was in love with Jasper when she allowed this to happen. "So, will you tell us why the new guy is trying to burn you down with a stare, Bella?"

"Huh?" I blinked several times, looking up from my food, and found that yes, Edward was looking at me. Well, not _looking_. More like, glaring at me. "What did I do _now_?" I asked in a groan as he made his way towards me.

"You know him?" Rosalie asked, her eyebrow raised. And then she rolled her eyes. "Oh, _of course_."

I laughed at her and she laughed along with me, shaking her head. "I wonder how Jazz would feel," I said idly as I turned my back against an approaching, angry/irritated Edward.

"Well," Rose began, "he will _not_ be comfortable, for one. They're not particularly best friends."

"I can see that." Jasper was a silent guy, but he doesn't brood. There's always a sense of calm around him, while Edward… well, let's just say he's a negative energy sort of guy.

"What are you talking about?"

It was the first time I realized that the table was silently looking from me to Rose. Oh, I remembered. They _didn't_ know who Edward was, and they didn't know he was their cousin. Speak of the devil, I felt a tap against my shoulder. I didn't respond at first.

"Hello, Edward," Rose said, smiling sarcastically sweetly up to him.

"Rosalie" was all he said before tapping my shoulder again. "Can I borrow Bella for a minute?"

"Can't we talk here?" I muttered, not at all comfortable with him.

"No."

I held back another smart remark, smiled at my friends and stood up. I looked at Edward for a second and then walked out of the cafeteria.

We were at the back garden, alone, with him leaning against the wall behind me. I was seated on one of the benches shielded from the soft rain by a canopy.

"So you're not gonna talk," I said. I wasn't asking him.

"No I'm not," he answered coolly.

"I haven't finished eating."

"You weren't even eating."

"Edward—" I turned to look at him "—why did you bring me out here?"

He turned his green eyes to me, an eyebrow raised. And then he cocked his head to one side, showing me one of his dark bruises. I tried not to cringe and flinch away from the sight. And then I gulped.

"How are your wounds?" I asked him instead.

"I could feel better" was all he said before looking away. Two minutes passed. Three. Four.

I can't take it anymore. I stood up and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the cafeteria. He could brood on his own all he wanted, but first off I was his friend and second I won't be there to brood with him. So if he wants me around, he'd better brood with my friends around. I sat down on my seat again and he sat down beside me, looking lost.

"Hi," I said to my friends. "Meet my long lost childhood friend slash not-so-much brother, Edward Cullen. He's Rosalie's and Jasper's cousin, too."

I looked at each one in turn, and they looked back at me blankly, and then they began introducing themselves to Edward, one by one, one after the other.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too," Edward muttered after Chelsea introduced herself.

"What class are you having after this?" Tanya asked, perked.

"Bio," I muttered at the same time Edward answered "Biology".

"How did you know that?" Alice asked, looking at me.

"Remember James? I learned on Friday that the new kid's his replacement as my lab partner. And the only new kid right now is Edward."

They nodded thoughtfully. And then the rapid-fire questioning began. I was surprised at how honestly at ease Edward was with my friends. I was thinking of the great wave of awkwardness among us all, but it never happened. Even with Rosalie telling me that they weren't really 'best friends' it was obvious that they had a lot of catching up to do.

"So, single right now, Edward?" Tanya asked. Way to be blunt, Tan.

Edward frowned for a moment and then nodded, still thoughtful.

"Think you'd want to change that for somebody?" Alice asked, glancing at me and then looking at Edward.

"If she comes to," he answered. And then everyone laughed. Did I miss some inside joke or something?

"What's so funny?" I asked.

They all shut up a minute before looking at me and bursting into another, louder feat of laughter. I was annoyed. Well, okay, laugh all you want. I grabbed my things, slung my backpack over my shoulder, grabbed Edward's arm and stood up.

"Okay, whatever," I muttered as I began dragging him to the lab. He was silently chuckling, too, to my displeasure. We had ten more minutes of lunch, but it wasn't too wrong to get there early, right?

"What is _so_ funny?" I asked when we were in the room. It was empty, of course, so I led Edward to my table, dumping my things on the floor.

"You are," he answered as he sat down beside me.

That was IT. I'm never talking to you again. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, annoyed, but blushing at the same time for some reason. And then, as I laid my head against my arms on the desk and Edward ruffled my hair, I smiled.

Reason? Nothing. I don't know. I just…

…for some reason, I can't find the right reasons.

* * *

A/N: Okay. So here are answers for one of the biggest questions I've been asked:

_When are they going to fall in love?_

That's a secret :) Hihihihi. Review, please?


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N**: Hey, ya'll. I haven't been in in a while, and it's good to be here once more! I won't be giving excuses or anything about not being able to upload in a while, coz there are too many, so instead I'm going to let you read the next chapter. Here it is!

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Twilight, or any original by Stephenie Meyer. I _do_ claim copyright over the plot of this fiction.

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**Chapter 12: **First Day High (Um, Junior Year at Forks)

[Bella]

Biology was terrific. I mean, everyone kept Edward standing in front practically the whole period, asking him questions that are _not_ supposed to be asked during your introductory session. But he seemed to be taking it well—better than well, actually.

And I knew that the kids in my class were only using him as an excuse to skip the inevitable quiz that Mr. Banner was bound to give. I smirked when finally Edward made his way up to me, his eyes contemplative.

"Enjoying the attention?" I teased him.

"I'd help anytime," he answered with an easy smile. And then his face turned serious again as he sat down. Automatically all heads—including both Edward's and mine—inclined at a forty-five degree angle to check the time. I heard a few groans of frustration and a few sighs of relief.

All in all, everyone was glad that there was only ten minutes left of fifth period.

Yeah, they kept Edward standing in front—answering questions like 'what's the point of having _introns_ in genes?' or 'cloning takes a while, doesn't it?'—for fifty minutes. I peeked at him and saw that he was silently ticking off the minutes left to life.

His lips moved slowly, as if he was saying something, but nothing but his breath was heard. I shrugged it off and looked up front as well. Mr. Banner wasn't doing anything, either, just sitting by the teacher's table.

When—finally—the bell rang, we all stood up, laughing (yeah, the teacher was laughing, too) as we filed out of the room. Edward was smiling, which was… strange, considering how he welcomed _me_ during the weekend. I walked him up to Spanish.

"Hey," he called out when I turned my back on him.

I turned around and looked at him. "Yes?"

"Sorry about lunch." I looked at his face and rolled my eyes. He didn't even _look_ sorry.

"Sure." And then I turned around again.

"Meet me at the parking lot!"

And I stopped listening. I walked to my next class, sat through it, and noted with dispassion that everything went by too quickly for my liking.

Soon I was standing in the parking lot beside my car, waiting for Edward, with Alice blobbing up and down beside me as Jasper pulled his car up.

"You're not gonna go yet?" Jazz asked as he looked at me.

I shook my head. "I gotta wait for Edward."

His face slackened when I said the name, and then suddenly he gave a lazy grin. "Alright. C'mon, honey, let's go," he added to Alice.

Alice looked at me and winked, and then bounced up to the car. I sighed and nodded, and then raised my hand in a wave. About ten minutes Edward came up, tapping the top of my head twice before sliding into his car. I knocked on his window and it rolled down.

"Are you free tonight?" I asked.

He frowned. "I guess."

"Alice is throwing a party for Jasper. Can you come?"

He looked at me, a little unsettled… "Where?"

"At their house, most probably."

"Alright. Come on. We still have to pick Ace up from day care."

And then he drove off. I rolled my eyes and walked over to my car, slid in, and drove after Edward to the Forks Day Care Center.

* * *

The day care was just as I remembered it to be. It was small, cramped… and filled with little people running around, screaming or laughing like maniacs. I gulped nervously, my eyes set on the back of the head of the boy my age walking ahead of me. He glanced back towards me, saw my dilemma, and then sighed.

He turned around, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to his side, making sure I did _not_ trip or trip over anyone.

"Thanks," I muttered. He just nodded as we walked over to where the rest of the toddlers were waiting. Ace's face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw the both of us.

"MOMMY!" he shrieked. My smile grew as I crouched and opened my arms, taking him into a hug and carrying him up as I straightened my spine. I twirled him around, the kid still laughing, and then stopped to face Edward. "Hewwo, Daddy," he greeted his brother, waving.

Edward smirked and ruffled his brother's hair, walking away to talk to the teacher, I supposed.

"How was your day, baby?" I asked the small sweetheart.

"Gweat! I learn how to coloh!" [I learned how to color] he answered happily. "Youws?" [Yours]

"Mine was fun, too," I said, chuckling as I remembered my Biology period. I looked over at Edward and saw that he _was_ talking to a young woman, only about five or six years older than the both of us, his eyes on me while she was blatantly flirting with him. I rolled my eyes and then looked at the child once more. "Do you want to go to a party tonight, Ace?"

"Pahty? Yes, Mommy, I want to go to pahty!"

I grinned at him, pecking his forehead. He giggled as I did so. I tucked his head under my chin and sighed, his physical weight adding to the weight that I've recently encountered upon meeting him. I only realized that there were so many things he did not, does not, and probably will not ever experience as a child—part of it being having a parents there, just for the affectionate gestures.

I tightened my arms around his waist as Edward walked back to us, bright green eyes lit with hidden rage and irritation.

"Let's get outta here" was all he said before placing an arm around my back and dragging me right out of the day care center.

I managed to remain quiet until we reached the curb, halfway down the block to where we parked. There, I stepped out of his grasp and walked ahead of him, only to turn to face him when I was about three steps away.

"Careful," he warned, gesturing to how I walked backwards with his brother in my arms.

"I'm not going to drop the baby, Edward," I defended. And then I cleared my throat, trying to keep my cool. "What's with your temper?"

He raised an eyebrow, causing me to look into his eyes—something I've managed to avoid so far by staring him in the middle of the forehead. I felt something at the back of my foot and I instinctively stepped back to catch my balance, but of course it was no use since _Edward_ was there to catch me.

"I told you to be careful," he snapped as I straightened up. Ace laughed indifferently.

"Well why don't we stop walking for five minutes and _talk_, then?" I snapped right back. I'm not usually the type who talked back, but I just hated it when people were so temperamental that I'm swept up into their hurricanes.

"Bella—"

"Edward."

"—we still have to get to that party."

I rolled my eyes. "Since when were _you_ a party enthusiast?"

"Will you please just shut up and walk?"

"No. Not unless you tell me what happened."

"What's it to you?"

"You're taking me with you, Edward! I could have stepped out of that daycare center, I would have walked down those stairs _without_ clinging onto you for dear life if you weren't _dragging_ me out of there with strides that are almost _three times_ longer than mine!"

I was breathing hard now, glaring at him, his green eyes cold and hard against my brown ones. He was always so… does he have MPD or something? Trying to understand him—and only for the past three days, no less—I exhausting me.

"I'm sorry," he said, his face pensive and his voice flat, but I could just _feel_ the sarcasm.

"I'm not asking for an apology," I growled.

"Then what?" he asked, exasperated. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked away. When he looked back at me, his eyes were torn between two seemingly impossible choices. What that was about, I could only guess.

"I'm asking for an _explanation_, Edward. I'm trying to understand you here. Can't you see?" I shrugged my shoulders, finding it almost impossible to move my limbs with a—now sleeping—two year old in my arms.

He sighed. "You don't need an explanation, Bella. I said I'm sorry. I'm not going to do it again."

"Edward—"

"Look!" he said, raising his hands to his sides as a sign of surrender. "I'm not even going to touch you unless you tell me to. Okay?"

"That's not what I mean," I answered, sighing and shaking my head. "Edward…"

"What?"

"…promise me something."

He gulped. "Okay. What?"

"If something happens to me—if I trip, if I'm in the line of fire of anything, if I cross the road wrong—you _will_ touch me, and you _will_ pull me out of the way, okay? You're going to save my life, alright?"

He was silent for a moment before we both broke out into huge fits of laughter. And then he offered his hand.

"Deal," he muttered. I smiled and managed to free one hand from Ace to shake his.

"Okay. Now let's go to Alice's house before she throws a bitch fit about my absence."

He laughed. For the first time since the daycare, I smiled, too.

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**A/N**: Whoo. I'm glad that's done. Happy with the fluff? Or is it too... little? Tell me!

BTW, if there are errors in this fiction, I apologize. Please be informed that, though English is an official language in my country, it's not my native tongue (I came from Asia). And as to the chapter titled 105: that should have been 10 [point] 5. Sarreh :)

Review?


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N**: Hey! It's good to be back :) Thanks for the awesome reviews. Thanks for following my story. I'm sorry for the long time coming... and here's the next chapter.

_Disclaimer_: I do not claim ownership over the original books/characters.

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Chapter 13: A Little To Deep

[Bella POV]

After that Monday, the rest of the week passed without much event. Edward has decided to join our group for lunch—and I was surprised he actually _got along_ with my friends, considering how crazy they were compared to him—and, on Friday, as promised, Esme came around, even cooking us dinner—Yey!—and I've learned much about Ace.

Actually, his birthday was coming up in a week. I did not know why I was so nervous about it, I just was. No one knows about the strange arrangement I have with Edward yet—not Alice, not Rosalie, not Jasper, not _anyone_—and, to be perfectly honest, I was afraid of letting them know about it.

If you knew my friends, you'd agree with me. They'd have my head for this…

…but well, they did not understand. They could get into their dream schools without a hitch, while I on the other hand… my sickness was one thing, but money? That's another story.

It was Saturday, and I promised Ace a tub of ice cream as soon as Esme woke up from sleep.

My head was pounding at the thought of 'last night'. I shook my head, to clear it, at least, but I was _pretty_ damn sure I will never forget that night.

**Flashback**

_It was near six PM, and I was just coming into the house since Edward told me he had to do some stuff before coming home._

"_Ace, go change before you do anything else."_

"_Okay, mommy."_

_The kid ran off. Tuesday when I received a little bag from Edward with a copy of keys for some major doors that need to be locked every time someone had to leave. I was kind of surprised when he gave it to me—I couldn't believe they trusted me enough._

"_It's part of the fun," he said as he shrugged and left me. I shrugged right back and kept it in my bag. It has been with me since._

_I was sure I'd be alone until Edward came around, so I was a little startled when the door opened and Esme came in with a large smile on her face. I blushed when I saw her—remembering my attack last week when I met her for the first time—but then it passed when she came up to hug me._

"_It's good to see someone is caring for my children enough," she said and then winked. I laughed._

_Ace then came bouncing down the stairs, shrieking when he saw his mom and jumping straight into her arms._

"_Hewwo, ma," he said. I gulped nervously._

"_Hello, baby, how are you?" Esme asked._

"_I'm fine, you?"_

_I smiled. It was so _cute_ knowing how mature he is at his age. Or civil._

"_I'm great, too. Did you have a good week with Bella?"_

_Ace cocked his head to one side, blinking in confusion, staring at his mother as if what she had just said was the most confounding thing ever. And then he shrugged and asked to be put down. Esme did so, slowly, and then turned to face me, her face etched with concern and confusion._

"_He doesn't know you?" she asked. She was about to say something else when Ace tugged at my hand and raised his arms, a child's certain gesture when asking to be carried. I smiled at Esme as I bent to pick up her son, hitching him against my hip and walking out of the kitchen to the living room._

"_Actually," I started, "he does. I don't think he knows my name, though."_

"_What does he call you, then, dear?"_

"_Mommy."_

_I jumped… for the second time in as many hours. I looked up to the door and saw Edward, his handsome face pressed to a hard mask of indifference as he stared back at me. He merely nodded at his mom as he caught his brother—who, astonishingly, slipped out of my arms without me noticing._

"_What?" Esme asked, confused. She looked between Edward and me, not finding answers from our expressions at all._

"_I said, Ace calls Bella mommy," Edward answered, his voice cool as he carried his brother into the kitchen. As they passed, I heard him murmur to Ace: "You like mommy, don't you?"_

_I slowly turned my head to look at Esme, expecting to find some sort of negative reaction—resentment, anger, _anything_—and found that she was smiling at me fondly. I blinked._

"_You know, I'd understand if he calls you his mommy," she said and sighed. "You look more like him than I do. Sometimes I stare at his eyes and I start to think, maybe he should have been my sister's son, not mine." She fixed her eyes on me. "My sister, Elizabeth, had the same brown eyes and brown hair as the both of you. Do you want to know why?"_

_For some reason, I wanted to nod and shake my head at the same time. I wanted to know, but I didn't, either. I gulped and nodded instead._

"_Your grandmother Marie, and Edward's grandfather Joe… they were cousins. And Daddy Joe didn't like Grandpa Adrian one bit. So they were always in fights. Now when your mom Renee and Carlisle stepped into the picture…" She shook her head, her eyes glazed in reminiscence. "There was finally peace. Charlie, Liz and I never stopped laughing about those times, you know? And then Daddy Joe died…_

"_All in all, it was a pretty rough childhood. Renee and Liz both had miscarriages. Your mom with your younger brother and my sister with her first child. Both their children were lost the moment I had Ace. And I think the reason behind his looks is because that's how he's supposed to look, had both his cousins been alive._

"_Charlie and Liz look a lot like each other. Some would even mistake them for siblings. Brown eyes, brown, curly hair… freckles… I loved them both." She turned her eyes to look at both of his sons in the kitchen. "You know what, Bella? I think I'm bothering you too much. I'll cook dinner, leave you to eat, go take a warm bath and go to sleep. Good night, honey." She kissed my forehead and walked up and away._

_Edward came in a few seconds later, his eyes trained on his mother as he pushed the now half-asleep two year old in my arms._

"_His birthday's coming up," he said idly, taking my hand and playing with it as his free hand grabbed the remote control and turned the TV on. "What do you want to do?"_

"_When is it, exactly?" I asked._

"_The twenty seventh, next Wednesday."_

_I nodded, trying to keep my mind away from the fact that his fingers were prodding mine, twirling around my palm, tickling me and sending an unfamiliar sensation up and down my whole body. I gulped._

"_What if we go out on Wednesday? I think we're having a half-day 'coz the seniors are having an affair that day."_

_I looked at him and saw that he was thoughtful. He shrugged and nodded, his eyes trained on the show being played on television. I laughed when I saw it—How I Met Your Mother._

"_Edward, are you _seriously_ going to watch this?" I asked incredulously._

"_It's better than Jersey Shore, don't you think?"_

_I nodded. "Or One Three Hill."_

_He made a strange noise and then shut up, but I could still feel his hand closing around mine, slipping, playing. I sighed, and managed to choke back a girlish giggle._

_I sighed._

_On Edward Cullen._

_If I was right, he might be my cousin. I gulped._

_Oh crap, I think I'm falling for Edward._

**End of Flashback**

And that night, after dinner, when Edward drove me home, I had invited him into the house for a cup of warm choco. That was all I intended that night as I sat down on the couch and he sat beside me, stretching one of his long legs to my side so it dangled off the arm rest behind me.

I did _not_ intend for us to talk. Well, not that much.

We talked about families first, and then plans for college—and he finally found out why I suddenly became Momma Bear—and then our topic slipped onto the more personal stuff… until we ended up sleeping in the couch at one thirty.

Edward woke me up at five to tell me he was going home, and I think I groaned a bit, and felt him spread my body across the couch before… did he kiss me? I'm not sure. But I sure felt something warm and soft against my lips before I heard the door open and close again.

So now, four hours later, I'm at his house, watching his little brother doodle on a piece of paper in the living room, my foot up against the coffee table, just watching the little boy giggle and flip the paper over and over.

"Maybe you should draw a house," I suggested. He looked at me and then looked at his paper again, contemplative. I laughed, and, probably not understanding why, he laughed with me. Kids are so silly. But this one's really cute.

Half an hour later Esme woke up, and she invited both Ace and I to the kitchen for ice cream. Ace kept telling and retelling the stories I've narrated to him every night since Monday, some of which earned me an incredulous glance from Esme.

When the kid heard his dad in the living room, he ran off to meet him. And that left Esme and I to look at each other. She smiled, a loving, motherly smile that warmed me from the top of my head all the way down to my toes. But somehow, her smile made me nervous, too.

"So. I heard Edward came up at around five thirty this morning," she started conversationally, her eyes now on her cup of ice cream. "Mind telling me what you've been up to."

I laughed. This was easy. "We slept on my couch. Talked till one this morning. Good thing he actually woke up before dawn, though."

She laughed at me, too. "Well, I have a bigger question. Do you have any plans of dating Edward, Bella?"

I choked. I had been swallowing my cold, deliciously sweet spoon of ice cream and I began choking. She patted my back gently until it was out of my throat and I could swallow better.

"What?" I asked.

She glanced up and then smiled like a Cheshire cat. And suddenly, I knew Edward was right behind me.

"Don't you worry," she whispered in my ear. "I approve."

"Esme," I groaned, putting my head against my hands, now propped up against the counter. "That is…"

"…perfect," she finished, tapping my nose with the tip of her finger. "I'd love to see it soon."

I stared at her, dumbfounded, as her son came up from behind me and began scooping ice cream, eyeing the both of us. I gulped nervously.

"I was about to say unhealthy," I told Esme. She just laughed and left, leaving me… with the son she just practically told me to date.

"What was that about?" Edward asked.

"Nothing," I answered quickly. _Too quickly_, I thought, because Edward smirked and sat beside me. And then he leaned over and pressed his cool lips against my temple before whispering:

"You _do_ know I can make you tell me?"

I snorted to hide the fact that I was beginning to get _really_ nervous. My heart was pounding against my chest in… _that_ way, that way where I knew I wouldn't be having a heart attack but I still knew that it wasn't healthy.

"We'll wait and see," I told him as I took a spoon of my ice cream and put it in my mouth. He chuckled and then sighed.

"We're in a little too deep, don't you think?" he asked. His hand took mine and he squeezed before letting it fall against my lap.

_Are you crazy? _I screamed at him in my head. _We're both _in too DEEP!

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**A/N**: So, I was reading through the reviews again. And I'm soooo happy :) Keep supporting me, okay? Hihihihihi. I'm doing my best and I'm sorry if the story line is a little boring. Review?


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